Legend of Kaito:Ocarine of Time
by LMeg9.20
Summary: Its basically the Ocarina of Time game but with Detective Conan characters instead. Shinichi is Link and Kaito is Princess Zelda. There will eventually be Kai/Shin. Knowledge of game helpful but not required. Rated T because of my potty mouth
1. The Forest Emerald

So this is a fic idea I have toyed with for some time, but I was reluctant to write/post it because Ocarina of Time is just so damn long! And if I was going to do a fic involving Zelda in any way, I would _not_ half-ass it. But this little idea would not leave me alone, so I had to give it a shot. So if you like it, review it for me so that I know people are interested.

It might take awhile, but once I get going, I promise there will be lots of Kaito and Shinichi.

xXx

"_In the vast, deep forest of Hyrule...Long have I served as the guardian spirit...I am known as the Great Deku Tree..._

_The children of the forest, the Kokiri, live here with me. Each Kokiri has his or her own guardian fairy._

_However, there is one boy who does not have a fairy..."_

xXx

A small boy lay shivering in his sleep, whether it was because he was cold, or because of something else was not clear. He looked to be no older than ten. Neat black hair could be seen beneath a green, sock like hat, his clothes matched. The color seemed perfect for blending into a forest and looked like a small, shivering leaf on the wooden bed he lay on. The illusion was only intensified by the fact that his house seemed to be a hollowed out tree trunk.

The boy shivered again as his nightmare began. The young boy found himself next to a beautiful castle. The sun seemed to have set long ago in his dream, but he could still make out the beautiful, marble stones that made up the castle's walls and the drawbridge that was currently raised. He noticed curiously that a fairy floated at his side, '_wait, a fairy? But I don't have a fairy…'_

Before he could ponder this further, the bridge began to lower at an alarmingly fast rate. The bridge had barely touched ground when suddenly a white horse galloped out. A small boy that looked to be his age was riding the horse. His clothes indicated him to be royalty, and his violet eyes looked so sad. An older man behind him held one hand around the boy protectively while the other hand held the horse's reins, urging the horse to go faster. In the blink of an eye, the boy and his guardian were gone, but the sound of a horse pursuing them caused the dreaming boy to turn around.

Standing before him was a terrible site. A black horse that seemed to have galloped straight from the pits of hell stood just a couple feet from him. But what was worse than the horse was the man riding him. He was dressed in black armor, his long blond hair trailed behind him. His eyes pierced the boy freezing him with fear where he stood. The boy watched in terror as the man smiled evilly and began reaching for him. He watched as the man's hand got closer and closer, unable to move.

xXx

"_Ai…Ai, where art thou? Come hither...Oh, Ai the fairy...listen to my words, the words of the Deku Tree..._

_Dost thou sense it? The climate of evil descending upon this realm...Malevolent forces even now are mustering to attack our land of Hyrule..._

_For so long, Kokiri Forest, the source of life, has stood as a barrier, deterring outsiders and maintaining the order of the world...but... before this tremendous evil power, even my power is as  
>nothing...<em>

_It seems the time has come for the boy without a fairy to begin  
>his journey...The youth whose destiny it is to lead Hyrule to a path of justice and truth...<em>

_Ai... go now! Find our young friend and guide him to me...I do not have much time left. Fly, Ai, fly! The fate of the forest, nay, the world, depends upon thee!"_

xXx

Young Shinichi woke from the nightmare slowly. He groaned to himself. He had been having that same nightmare for weeks, and it always filled him with dread. He kept his eyes closed as he thought about it, it seemed so much clearer last night than it did previous nights. It was almost more like a vision than a nightmare.

He was interrupted from his musings by the sound of fluttering wings and a high voice that sounded a bit like the tinkling of a bell. "Shinichi, Shinichi wake up!"

Shinichi frowned, that sounded a bit like a fairy. But that was impossible; his fairy guardian never came to him. He had given up waiting long ago. He hesitantly opened his eyes, then after a moment his eyes widened in surprise. "A fairy? But what do you want with me?"

A small ball of light flew toward him. He instinctively held his hand out and she landed in his palm. Now that she was closer, he could study her a little better. Inside the ball of light was a tiny, glowing girl. She was so small and glowing so brightly, that he couldn't make out much of her features. He could however see the set of pale blue wings attached to her back. She answered in her tinkering voice, "So you are awake, my name is Haibara Ai. The Great Deku Tree has asked me to be your partner from now on. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The small boy smiled in amusement. Who knew a fairy's high voice could sound so dry? "I finally have a fairy of my own?" he asked as he held her higher for closer inspection. He reached out a finger to poke her wings.

"Hands off the wings!" She flew off his hand dive bombed his head. Shinichi raised his hands defensively, "Ah! Ok, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Then let's get going! Move it, the Deku tree wants to see you."

"I'm going, I'm going," he growled. '_Who knew my fairy would be so annoying? I'm sure she won't be so bad later after we get used to each other.'_

Shinichi made his way out of his tree house and almost ran into one of the other Kokiri children that lived in the forest with him. "Sorry, didn't see you. Oh, hi Ran," he greeted.

The small girl smiled at him. She was wearing the female version of his forest outfit and had long black hair with bangs going up in a high point to the side of her head. "Hi Shinichi, I was just coming to visit you. Oh, is that a fairy? You finally got a fairy companion, I'm so happy for you," she smiled at him.

"Thanks Ran," Shinichi answered. Ai dive bombed his head again in impatience, although a little easier this time. "I had better go, my fairy Ai here told me that the Deku tree wants to see me."

"oo, the Deku tree? I won't keep you any longer," she moved aside.

Shinichi headed to the back of the small forest village toward the path he had never before taken, the path to the Deku tree. Before he could move any farther, another Kokiri child blocked his path. This one was male and was a bit heavy, to put it nicely. "Hold it! You have a fairy now? Well don't think you are better than me, Genta, the greatest Kokiri ever!"

Shinichi resisted rolling his eyes, "Don't worry Genta, I do not think I'm better than you. Now will you please move aside? The Deku tree needs to talk to me."

Genta's jaw dropped, "You! But until today, you were just a fairyless nobody. Why would the tree want to talk to you when I'm here?"

"He's jealous," Ai whispered in his ear. Shinichi nodded in agreement.

"Fine, I'll let you pass, but only after you prove yourself to me! To do that, you are going to need a shield and a sword. I won't let you pass until you have both," the fat little forest child growled.

"Fine! Let's go Ai, we have some work to do," the smaller child stalked off.

xXx

"So where are you going to get a sword?" Shinichi's fairy asked.

"Well, Kokiri rumor has it that there is a small, Kokiri sized sword somewhere in the village, waiting to be used by those in need. So if I can just find it, then I'm sure I can borrow it."

"And the shield?" she asked.

"The village shop sells one, so I just need to buy one. I don't have any money, so we'll look for the sword first until I can find some Rupees," he answered.

"Right…wait, what do you mean find some Rupees?"

Shinichi chuckled, "People can be so irresponsible with their money. I often find them just lying underneath boulders or in patches of tall grass. And I once defeated a keese with a stick and it dropped some rupees. It's almost easy to make money, you just need the time to find it."

"So if it's so easy to find money, than we are you broke?" he could almost picture Ai cocking one of her tiny eyebrows.

Shinichi looked embarrassed, "That would be because I spend all my money on Lon Lon Milk." Ai just looked at him. "What? It's so good!"

xXx

"So you found yourself a sword and shield, did you? Well even with all of that equipment, a wimp is still a wimp. I will never except you as one of us," Genta growled at the smaller child in front of him.

"Genta! That wasn't very nice," a new voice spoke. Shinichi looked behind him to see Ran walking toward them. Genta gulped in fear and ran in the opposite direction.

"Coward," Ai spoke from Shinichi's shoulder. Shinichi tried to ignore the hurt he felt at Genta's words and continued down the path to the Deku Tree. He felt a little better when he heard Ran lecturing Genta. It sounded like she was really letting him have it.

Thoughts of Genta and Ran were pushed to the back of his mind when he came to the base of a huge tree with what sorta looked like a face on its trunk. Shinichi felt the tiny fairy gently push his back in encouragement, or at least she tried to. She ended up running into his back instead, but he got the message. "Great Deku Tree, I came."

"_Thank you, Shinichi, and welcome. Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless and, and full of nightmares," the Tree began, "As servants of evil gain strength, a vile climate pervades the land and causes nightmares to those sensitive to it…Verily, thou hast felt it. Shinichi, the time has come to test thy courage. For you see, I have been cursed, I need you to break the curse with your wisdom and courage."_

"Me? You need me? But what can I do, I'm just a boy, and until just a couple hours ago, I was fairyless."

The ground began to shake as Shinichi realized the Deku Tree was chuckling, _"Believe in thyself, young one. You are more powerful than you know."_ The tree opened its monster sized mouth and lowered its jaw all the way to the ground. _"Enter Shinichi, and you too Ai. You two are now a team. Shinichi, listen carefully to Ai's words of wisdom, and break this curse evil has set upon me."_

Shinichi screwed up his courage and walked inside.

xXx

Shinichi slashed his sword at another Deku Baba, a plant with a large mouth and an appetite for people, "So Ai, I have been thinking, how did all of these enemies get inside the Great Deku Tree anyway?"

The fairy indicated her head in the direction of Deku Scrub behind him. The bush like enemy was in the process of spitting a nut at Shinichi who quickly bounced it back at it with his shield. "Well I think that its obvious, it has to be the curse on the Tree. But none of these small enemies seem to be the source. There must be something larger, a greater evil behind all of this. If we defeat that, we should break the curse."

Shinichi used a Deku stick to light a torch. The torch unlocked a hidden switch and a door opened to a new area, "Ok, I understand that…but how did the Great Deku Tree continue talking to me while he had his mouth open? Remember, he told me 'Enter Shinichi, break this curse evil has set upon me,'" Shinichi asked with his face screwed up in a way that he thought made him look like the Deku Tree.

Ai sighed in annoyance, "How am I suppose to know? He's the only talking tree in all of Hyrule, maybe he doesn't need to use is mouth to talk?"

xXx

Shinichi sheathed his sword and took a moment to catch his breath. The body of the Queen Gohma, the monster that seemed to be the bulk of the curse, lay a before him. "Nice job Shinichi, let's get out of here," Ai flew to the beam of light that had appeared after the Queen's defeat and waited for Shinichi.

The child stepped into the light and felt a strange tingling sensation before he was transported back outside the Tree. "_Well done Shinichi, thou have defeated the curse, I knew that thou wouldst be able to carry out wishes. But I am afraid it is too late, the has done its damage and I cannot be saved. Do not despair, thou have done well. And before I die, I have one more thing I must tell you. A wicked man of the desert cast this curse on me."_ At the mention of the desert man, Shinichi shivered. For some reason, he thought back to his nightmares. "_This evil man ceaselessly uses his vile sorcerer __powers__ in his search for the Sacred Realm that is connected to Hyrule...For it is in that Sacred Realm that one will find the divine relic, the Triforce, which contains the essence of the gods..._

_Before time began, before spirits and life existed...Three golden goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule...Din, the goddess of Power...Nayru, the goddess of Wisdom...Farore, the goddess of Courage...Din...With her strong, flaming arms, she cultivated the land and created the red earth. Nayru...Poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of law to the world. Farore...With her rich soul produced all life forms who would uphold the law._

_The three great goddesses, their labors completed, departed for the heavens. And the golden sacred triangles remained at the point where the goddesses left the world. Since then the sacred triangles  
>have become the basis of our world's providence. And, the resting place of the triangles has become the<br>Sacred Realm._"

Shinichi nodded his head in amazement while he took in the Deku Tree's words. This was his first time hearing of the three goddesses. Then he remembered the Deku Tree's previous words, "and the desert man is looking for a way to get to the Sacred Realm. That must not happen!"

The tree seemed to smile at him, "_you must go to Hyrule Castle, and there thou will meet the Prince of Destiny. Take this stone with you, the stone that man wanted so much_." A branch from the tree extended to Shinichi and handed him an emerald green gem that had what looked like a branch or vine of gold creeping around it. His last task complete, the tree died.

"Goodbye Great Deku Tree," Shinichi whispered before leaving.

xXx

Shinichi entered the main part of the small village but was immediately stopped by Genta, "The Deku Tree, is he dead? What did you do! It's all your fault!" Genta lowered his head as tears streaked down his cheeks and he ran before Shinichi could stop him.

Ai spoke for the first time since they defeated the Gohma Queen, "Come on Shinichi, we should go. The Deku Tree gave us a task, we must get to Hyrule Castle." Shinichi nodded. He stuck to the shadows and avoided the rest of the children until he made it to the hollowed out tree trunk that acted as a tunnel and exited out of the forest. As he neared the end of the trunk, he stopped. "What is it, Shinichi?"

"This is the farthest I have ever been from my home. The Deku Tree always told us Kokiri children to never leave the village. He told us Kokiri cannot survive for long outside of his forest," he answered.

The fairy nodded in understanding, "I'm sure the Great Deku Tree knew what he was doing when he told you to go to Hyrule Castle. You must believe in him, and believe in yourself."

Shinichi nodded, "I do. Let's go, Ai."

"Shinichi," he heard from behind him. He turned and saw Ran watching him with sadness in her eyes, "You're leaving, aren't you? I always knew you would leave the forest…someday, because you are different from me and my friends. But that's ok because we will be friends forever, won't we?"

"Ran…" Shinichi began but stopped as he felt is voice choke.

"I want you to have this, my Ocarina. When you play it, I hope-I hope you think of me," she smiled with tears in her eyes.

xXx

Shinichi could do nothing but stare as he looked upon Hyrule field for the first time. His entire life, all he could remember was the forest he lived in. He had never seen so much empty space before. The lack of trees caused him to feel a little exposed and vulnerable. "Well, I guess if I don't have anywhere to hide, neither do the enemies. So no sneak attacks," he reasoned.

Ai let out a couple bell-like tingles in agreement, "I can see the castle in the distance. If we hurry, I think we can reach it before nightfall. I think it would be unwise to be in the field after the sun has set." Shinichi nodded at set off at a brisk pace. Lucky kids have such endless energy!

With little time to spare, he made it to the drawbridge that allowed him to cross the moat. The small town surrounding the castle made him pause, but what really startled him was the people. Their clothes were every color under the rainbow rather than the same green. But then, it probably wasn't necessary to look like a part of the forest when there were so few trees, "Ai look, some of these people are so tall. And that one has wrinkles all over her face."

The fairy nodded, "the tall people are called adults. The Kokiri race stay children their entire life, but other races age. As they age, they will grow some and as they grow even older, their skin wrinkles."

Shinichi blinked at her, "strange. After I talk to the prince, I think I want to see the rest of this strange world."

xXx

"What do you mean you want to see the prince? Go home, not just anybody can see the prince you know," a grumpy looking guard told him.

"But I must speak to him! The Great Deku Tree sent me!" Shinichi told the guard.

"Deku, wha? I don't know what you are talking about, but get lost."

Shinichi huffed and began walking away, "now what, Ai?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? We sneak in," she flew to some nearby vines that were creeping up the wall surrounding the castle. The green clad boy began to climb. "And don't be seen by anymore guards," Ai warned.

Shinichi spent some time after that dodging the guards as he made his way to the castle. It was rather tedious, but he was rewarded he made it to the courtyard of the castle. He could see a boy around his age hiding behind a bush. He seemed to be peeking into a window….and he looked very familiar.

Shinichi stared, "It's the boy from my dreams."

**Important note**

So when I started writing this, all I knew was that Shinichi would be Link, Kaito would be Zelda, KID would be Sheik. I'm not sure where to fit everyone else. So you tell me, who do you want to see as who? Some characters may have to be left out, unfortunately.

Here are the roles that still need to be filled: Ruto, Nabooru, Malon, and maybe Rauru although if I remember correctly, he isn't seen much in the games.

I figured Hattori could be a Goron (it seemed fitting?) and Jii is of course Impa if you didn't catch that.


	2. The Goron Ruby

So I am a little curious, how many of my readers are _un_familiar with Ocarina of Time? As I said in my summary, knowledge of the game is somewhat helpful, but not required. I only say it would be helpful because knowledge of the game will help you understand and/or imagine things I neglect to mention. The graphics of the game are really beautiful and very detailed; it really looks like you are viewing another world. I want you to imagine that world, but at the same time, there is just so much, I'm not sure I can capture it all. Does that make sense?

***Also, if you know the game, you will know what the races look like. The races are Kokiri (dress in green and look like children), Hylian (normal people but with pointy ears like elves), Sheikah (look like Hylian) Zora (blue and with fins on arms and a mermaid tail for hair), Goron (orange and rock like), and Gerudo (think desert people…very tan). Those unfamiliar with the game can simply type these races into their search engine and will then be able to be in the loop :)***

The early chapters will follow the game very closely because it suits my purpose to leave it the same, but as I progress through, there will be more frequent changes, mostly to set up KaiShin moments. I use a combination of a walkthrough on ZeldaDungeon and different videos on youtube to help me write this. I especially use the videos for certain characters' dialogue, such as the Great Deku Tree's.

If it wasn't obvious, I do not own the DC/MK characters or anything from the Zelda game.

xXx

The boy seemed to sense a presence behind him. He turned and looked at Shinichi, surprise on his face, "How did you get past the guards?" He seemed to be more curious rather than fearing for his safety. Before Shinichi could answer the boy's question, Ai flew out from her resting place under his hat. "Wait, is that a fairy?"

Ai snorted, "No, I'm just a really, really big bug."

A smile formed on his face, excitement danced in his violet eyes, "Than are you by chance from the forest? Do you have the Spiritual Stone of the Forest?"

Shinichi nodded, bewildered that the boy could somehow know that just by seeing his fairy companion. The boy let out a happy laugh, "I knew it! I saw it, I saw you. I had a dream. In my dream, dark clouds hid Hyrule from the sun. But then, the clouds parted and a ray of light shown to the ground. The light revealed a figure holding the Forest Stone. He was with a fairy."

The boy looked at Shinichi with a determined look in his eye. Shinichi had a feeling the boy wasn't normally so serious and that he was seeing something rare, "I know that dream was a prophecy, and I knew it meant someone would come from the forest."

Shinichi felt that it was time he interrupted. Something told him if left unchecked, the boy could talk for hours, "I'm sorry, but who-?"

The boy laughed again, "How rude of me! I haven't properly introduced myself." He looked at Shinichi and gave him a warm smile, "I am Kaito, Prince of Hyrule."

Shinichi blinked in surprise, and then smiled. '_I found him.'_ His fairy flew to the prince till she was floating in front of his nose, "Prince, we have been searching for you. My name is Ai, and my partner is Shinichi."

Kaito held up his palm for Ai to land on, "What a pleasure it is to meet such a beautiful fairy." Ai snorted in response, but Shinichi could tell by the way she held her wings that she was pleased. "Listen Shinichi, miss Ai, I need to tell you the secret of the Sacred Realm that has been passed down to the Royal Family. The legend goes as follows: the Three Goddesses hid the Triforce containing the power of the Gods somewhere in Hyrule. The power to grant the wish of the one who holds the Triforce is in his hands. If someone with a righteous heart makes a wish, it will lead Hyrule to a golden age of prosperity. If someone with an evil mind has his wish granted, the world will be consumed by evil. That is what  
>has been told. So, the ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the Triforce from the evil ones."<p>

As Shinichi listened, his mind worked furiously, "But that means, the temple…"

"That's right. The Temple of Time is the entrance to the Sacred Realm, but the entrance is sealed with  
>a stone wall called the Door of Time. And, in order to open the door, it is said that you need to collect<br>three Spiritual Stones."

"The three Spiritual Stones, such as the one the Great Deku Tree gave me?" Shinichi asked.

The prince nodded, "Yes, and another thing you need is the treasure that the Royal Family, the Ocarina of Time. The other part of my dream, the dark clouds, I believe that symbolized that man." Kaito turned and gestured to the window he had previously been looking through. Inside the palace was the king granting audience to a man.

Shinichi's eyes widened when he recognized the man, it was the man in black armor from his dreams. Ai growled, "I sense an evil aura coming from that man. Such evil…I never felt the likes of it."

Kaito nodded unsurprised by the fairy's words, "His name is Gin and I believe he is after the Triforce of the Sacred Realm, but he must not get it. I tried to warn my father, buy Tou-san wouldn't believe me. He told me it was just a dream and not to worry. So it's up to us, we must protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm. I will protect the Ocarina of Time, and you must retrieve the other two Spiritual Stones. Our plan is to get to the Triforce before Gin."

xXx

Shinichi made his way to his next destination, KaKariko Village. It was a small town near Hyrule Castle Town, but more importantly, it was the entrance to Death Mountain, the location of a Spiritual Stone. As he left the courtyard and the prince, a man stepped out of the shadows blocking Shinichi's path. Shinichi could tell by his height and his wrinkles that he was older, and he wore light weight, blue armor, "Everything is exactly as the prince has foretold. My name is Jii. I am a part of the Sheikah, a clan of shadow ninjas that have sworn to protect the royal family. My duty is to protect young Kaito. You are very brave, boy. You are heading out on a dangerous adventure, aren't you?" He looked very impressed.

"I will do anything to help the prince, and therefore, you. Pull out your ocarina and I will teach you the ancient melody passed down by the royal family. I have played this melody to prince Kaito since he was a baby. Its notes hold an mysterious power," Jii told Shinichi.

The green clad boy pulled out Ran's ocarina and Jii showed him how to play the song. Its melody was soft and calming, like a lullaby. At the song's completion, Shinichi felt a great rush of power. The power, not being directed at anything, simply faded.

xXx

Shinichi entered KaKariko village and looked around. It was a small town built at the base of a high mountain, a gated entrance led to a trail going up the mountain. Across town was a windmill and he saw what looked like a graveyard behind it. A couple of houses doted around the town, and the town's occupants were walking around going about their daily business.

"We need to take that path up the mountain, but how are we suppose to get up? The gate is closed and being guarded by a guard of Hyrule," the fairy told the boy.

Shinichi turned to her and held up a piece of parchment, "Don't worry, Prince Kaito gave me a note. I'm not sure what it says, but it should let me through."

Shinichi approached the guard standing by the gate. The guard appeared to be zoning out in boredom but snapped to attention when he saw Shinichi, "Hey you can't go up here, the path is closed. Can't you read the sign? Well you are just a kid, and a small one at that. Guess you are too young to read."

The boy in green resisted the urge to glare at the guard. It wouldn't do to piss off the man that could let him through, "But sir, I have a note, from Prince Kaito."

The guard took the parchment and examined it carefully, "Well it is true that this is the prince's handwriting. Let's see, '_Hello guard-san, this cute boy in green before you is my new friend Shinichi, and I have ordered him to save Hyrule. Please allow him to pass.'"_ Shinichi's jaw dropped, no way would a silly message like that convince the guard to let him pass. The guard stayed silent for a moment, then began to laugh, "Oh I see, playing a little game with the prince, are you? Ha-ha, ok you can pass, Mr. Hero."

The guard was still laughing as he opened the gate and allowed Shinichi through to Death Mountain.

The path to the mountain was invested with Tekitites, four legged spider like monsters that had a crab like shell. "Tekitites use their long legs to spring on you, so fight them from a distance with your slingshot," Ai told him. Well, she was his partner for a reason.

Shinichi made quick work of the spider-like monsters and continued. He was almost to the top when he noticed a strange looking man-or at least, he thought it was a man. His skin was very tan and seemed to be hard as stone. He was shirtless and seemed to have harder skin and what looked like sharp rocks on his back and knuckles. A tribal tattoo was on his left arm. It was a diamond with three small triangles from above it. It reminded Shinichi of a paw print. The strange man-thing opened his mouth to speak, "Hello small stranger, I am a Goron. I'm guessing you have never seen one of my race before."

"Sorry for staring," Shinichi replied politely, "and no, I have not."

The Goron chuckled, "I thought not. We Gorons only live up here on Death Mountain. Are bodies are more suited to the climate. Also, our source of food, lava rocks, can only be found here. Unfortunately, we can no longer get to our tasty rocks, so I'm afraid if nothing is done, we might die out."

The fairy boy frowned in confusion, "why can't you get to your rocks?"

The Goron's eyes darkened, "Everything was fine until one day, a Gerudo man wearing black armor came and asked our king, Hattori, for the Goron Ruby. King Hattori could see the evil in the man's heart and refused the man, so the man in black blocked the entrance to the cave with our lava rocks. We Goron's are a strong race, and we could easily move the rock he blocked the entrance with, except that the evil man seemed to wake up the beast inside."

"A beast inside the cavern?" Shinichi asked curiously. He imagined he knew who the man in black armor was.

The Goron nodded, "The cave with the lava rocks has always been invested with Dodongos, but before the lizard creatures were so small, we Gorons could easily handle them. After that man came however, the Dodongo Cavern has become more dangerous. More Dodongos than ever invest it, and some Gorons saw a giant Dodongo that even we could not handle. We had no choice but to leave the rock blocking the entrance for our safety. In the end, it will only prolong our survival a bit longer. Our lava rocks can only be found in the Dodongo Cavern."

Shinichi nodded sadly, "I'm sorry to hear about that. If I could help, I gladly would. In the meantime, maybe I could speak to your King." The Goron nodded and led Shinichi to Goron City. The city was built right inside the mountain, and was made up of a series of descending levels, each level being smaller than the last. The king's chambers were at the bottom.

The boy made his way to the bottom. He noticed all around him were more Gorons, all of whom were slumped were they were sitting. They were clearly starving. Shinichi finally made it to the door leading to the king's room. A soft carpet with the royal symbol lay outside the door, which Shinichi was standing on now.

"Shinichi, I think this is the entrance for the royal family's messenger. I think you should play the song Jii taught you in order to announce yourself," his fairy told him. Shinichi took out and played the song, which he had named Kaito's lullaby.

A tired voice called out, "Enter." Shinichi made his way inside. King Hattori sat at his throne, his elbow on the arm of the chair and his chin resting on his fist. He looked to be in a foul mood, "Wha da hell is this? I heard da song of da royal family and was expectin their messenger, but this is what they send me? A shrimpy child? I, King Hattori, am insulted. Well kid, you can tell those fools back at the castle that we Gorons don't need outsiders help."

"But sir, I…" Shinichi began.

"I don't want to hear it! Now get out of my chamber and go back to your comfy castle, kid."

Shinichi sagged his shoulders in defeat. He couldn't leave without the Spiritual Stone, but what was he suppose to do when he had a hungry, cranky Goron to deal with. If only Ran was here, she always knew how to talk to him when he was cranky. With the thought of his Kokiri friend, he unconsciously pulled out his ocarina and began playing a song he had heard her play for him. The song was light and happy, and the king looked up and listened with interest. At the song's competition, the king smiled.

"That was a nice song, kid. My depression is all gone. Wha was it ya wanted ta talk to me about?" the King asked, now clearly in a better mood.

"Your highness, Prince Kaito has sent me. I must collect the Spiritual Stones, including yours," Shinichi answered.

The king frowned slightly, "Hmm, you too, huh? Well, I can tell that you are more pure then that rude Gerudo that came here, but you are just a kid. I can't give our treasure, the Goron Ruby, to a shrimp like you. Prove to me that you are a man, and I will give you whatever you want, even the ruby."

Shinichi's pride answered for him, "I will, name your challenge."

King Hattori smiled again, clearly impressed by the boy's attitude, "I want you to defeat the beast that is in the Dodongo Cavern. If you do that, then you are a man."

"You mean the same beast that a full grown Goron couldn't defeat? You want a small boy to defeat that one?" Ai muttered, but was ignored.

"I will even give you this bracelet. With it, you will have more strength. You should be able to pick up Bomb Flowers. It could come in handy," the bracelet the king offered was gold and was marked with the tattoo symbol Shinichi had seen on all of the other Gorons. Shinichi took the band and made his way back outside the Goron City to the Dodongo Cavern, Ai following behind him muttering "Idiot."

xXx

As it turns out, Shinichi found use for the bracelet immediately. The rock blocking the entrance to the cavern was too heavy for him to move, even with the strength giving bracelet. He did however see a Bomb Flower growing on the cliff above the rock. "You know Ai, I have never seen a ripped child before, but with all of this exercise I'm being forced to do, I am going to be one fit Kokiri. Think I could finally take on Genta after all of this?"

Ai rolled her eyes, "Just climb the cliff and get the stupid Bomb Flower." Shinichi did notice she was trying to hide a smile.

It took some time, but Shinichi eventually climbed the cliff. At first, the flower was too heavy for him and he couldn't lift it, but then the bracelet glowed and he found himself feeling stronger and lifted the flower with ease. The flower began smoking and Shinichi threw it to the bottom by the rock. Once the flower made contact with the rock below, it blew up. "So these flowers really are bombs? Nature is amazing," Shinichi commented.

Shinichi made his way back to the entrance of the Dodongo Cavern. Inside was a very large room with smaller rooms branching off of it. There was a small pool of lava on the floor, but it was easily avoidable as long as he looked where he was going. The weirdest thing about the room was a colossal, long dead Dodongo head protruding from the back wall like some sort of giant trophy. His fairy noticed a nearby sign near the head. "Dead Dodongo…When the Dodongo sees red, a new path will open. What do you suppose that means?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, but that Dodongo obviously isn't the one we need to defeat. Let's look around," Shinichi answered. They spent some time making their way through the caves after that. Bomb Flowers were growing everywhere inside and often came in handy to defeat certain enemies or solve puzzles to open doors. "You know Ai, this would be much easier if the Bomb Flowers were a little more portable. I'm afraid one of these times I'm going to blow myself up. I only have seconds before the bomb goes off." Ai nodded in agreement.

Shinichi used his slingshot to deactivate a trap. This trap was a creepy eye placed inside a gold diamond. When he shot it with his slingshot, the eye closed and he was able to cross a platform that was previously on fire. Why the fire went out when the eye was closed, he wasn't sure, but he wasn't arguing. In the next room, he saw a treasure chest. He opened the chest to reveal a bag full of bombs. "Well that was cool," Shinichi smiled.

"Yeah…hey, remember what you said earlier Shinichi? About bombs that you could carry around with you?" Shinichi nodded. "Remember that sign we saw by the dead Dodongo?"

"Yeah…it said when the Dodongo sees red…a new path will open…sees red…Ai! I think I understand," Shinichi yelled excitedly. He ran back to the first room at the entrance, Ai flying after him. He opened his new bag and removed a bomb. He tested the weight in his hand then lit the fuse. He threw the bomb into the Dodongo's left eye, and then threw another bomb in the other eye. The bombs went off turning the Dodongo's eyes red from the light. Shinichi heard a click like a switch being activated, and then the skull's mouth opened. Inside the mouth was a door that had previously been hidden. Shinichi and Ai shared a look, and then made their way through the door and into the beast's chambers.

Inside the chamber was a huge Dodongo. It was easily twenty feet tall and looked like a triceratops dinosaur. It had a massive horn sticking out of its forehead and more horns on its spine. The monster saw Shinichi and opened its jaws wide, blowing fire at the small boy.

"Run!" Ai yelled. Shinichi didn't have to be told twice. He jumped out of the way and when the beast paused for a breath, he threw a bomb down its throat. The beast swallowed the bomb which exploded in its stomach. The beast coughed up some smoke, and collapsed stunned at Shinichi's feet. The boy took out his sword from its sheath and stabbed the beast. The giant Dodongo let out a final bellow before falling over dead.

xXx

"I knew ya could do it, I just knew it," Hattori, king of the Goron's told Shinichi. He patted Shinichi on the back, which sent the small boy face first into the dirt. The king continued as he hadn't noticed, "the Gorons are saved from starvation thanks to you. All of this trouble was caused by that Gerudo in black armor, Gin. Can ya believe he had the nerve ta tell me, 'Give me the Spiritual Stone, or I won't open the cave for you.' As if I would give the stone to that jerk. You, on the other hand, risked your life to save us Gorons. I like you, kid! (He gave Shinichi another back breaking pat.) From now on, you and I are going to be sworn brothers. I bet you feel honored. As proof of our new friendship, I'll give you that stone you wanted." King Hattori handed a ruby to Shinichi. The ruby was set in gold and gave the illusion of a single rose inside a gold sleeve.

"Brother, I think you should see the Great Fairy that lives at the top of the mountain. She will increase your power. I guess this is goodbye for now," the king cupped his hands to his mouth and raised his voice, "Gorons! Let us see our brother off!" Two massive Gorons appeared at the king's sides. "Come on Shinichi, group hug!" The king and the two Gorons held out their arms.

Shinichi remembered the "friendly" pat on the back from a minute ago, so he turned and ran screaming like a girl the entire time.

xXx

Shinichi made it to the top of the mountain. He had to use some of his bombs to blow up some rocks in his way, but he made it. He found a cave and went inside. The outside may have been mountain, but the inside was made of beautiful white marble. A fountain was in the middle of the room with crystal clear water inside. This was obviously no ordinary cave. "Shinichi, look," Ai indicated the symbol of Hyrule on the floor in front of the mountain. It was just like the carpeted rug in front of King Hattori's room. Shinichi carefully took out his ocarina and played Kaito's lullaby.

At the song's completion, he heard a woman's laughter. A woman appeared floating in front of him above the fountain's water. If she was a fairy, she was nothing like his fairy Ai. The woman seemed unnaturally tall and she had bright pink tied in three ponytails. She wore matching pink eye shadow…not that Shinichi noticed her eyes. The Great Fairy was nude except for vines wrapped around her body. The vines collected to cover her chest, wrapped around one side of her neck to go around on thigh and her groin area. She also wore a pair of knee high boots. "Ah, so you must be the young hero. I am the Great Fairy of Power. I'm going to grant you the power to use magic. This should come in handy later, and next time you are by Hyrule Castle, visit a friend of mine. She will probably grant you a power as well," With that, the scantily clad woman disappeared.

xXx

Well that is the end of chapter two. Next chapter will be the final spiritual stone. That means I _think_ there will be Kai/Shin in the chapter after that. I'm not completely sure though, I have to check the walkthrough.

So as of this chapter's competition, I have one review, one fav, and two alerts. I'm a touch disappointed that only four people seem to like this, but I guess four is better than zero :) But if anyone else is reading this and likes it, let me know! It will make me feel better. Happy holidays everybody!


	3. The Water Saphire

"Shinichi, before we go after the final Spiritual Stone, maybe we should find that other Great Fairy. Whatever gift she grants us could come in handy," Ai told her companion.

Shinichi nodded, "It's not that much of a detour anyway. Also, we aren't completely sure where the final stone is, although I do have a guess."

"Oh?" his fairy inquired.

"Well, is must be with the Zora. The first and second stones were entrusted to the Kokiri and the Gorons, so the final stone must be with the Zora. It can't be with the Gerudo, because we learned that Gin is a Gerudo, and I'm sure he would have been able to obtain it from his own people," Shinichi reasoned. "If we go to Castle Town, maybe we can ask someone where the Zora live."

The boy and fairy made it to the town outside the castle, but had no idea where to start looking. "Do you think the prince would know where the Great Fairy is? Maybe we could visit, we can tell him our progress as well," Ai offered.

Shinichi shrugged, "I suppose it's worth a shot. We don't have much else to go on." Shinichi walked the path to the castle, being careful not to be seen by the guards. They were about halfway to the castle's front steps when they ran into a bit of a problem; they couldn't find a way around the guards up ahead. "It looks like they may have switched up how they guard. I can't see a way to get pass them."

"This must be because they saw Jii leading you out the first time we visited. They must have realized that you got past them and increased the guard," Ai told him.

It's a good idea really, if it wasn't for the fact that now I can't get in either," Shinichi commented from his hiding spot behind a bush. The boy in green looked around. He saw a short path leading away from the castle. A sign reading "Do not enter" was placed in front of it. Shinichi stood in front of the sign and looked behind it curiously, but all he could see was a single rock. Ignoring the sign, the boy inspected the boulder.

"When in doubt, blow it up," Ai suggested.

Shinichi threw her a look, "That makes no sense, Ai." Despite his words, he took out a bomb and set it in front of the rock, then retreated a short distance away. The bomb went off shattering the rock and revealed a hole large enough for him to climb through. With little hesitation, Shinichi climbed through the hole.

His actions were rewarded when came out the other side and saw a familiar looking fountain. He took out his ocarina and played Kaito's lullaby, then heard a woman's laughter. A fairy identical to the Fairy of Power appeared. She noticed his look, "Hello little one, your expression tells me you must have met my friend. I am the Great Fairy of Magic. I would like to grant you a magic spell. Please take it and use it for good. The spell is called Din's Fire. With it, you will be able to set fire to everything a short distance around you. I think you will find it to be useful. Good luck, young hero." With those last words, she was gone.

xXx

Shinichi approached a guard outside the castle. He put on the most innocent smile he could manage, "excuse me, but could you tell me where I might find the Zoras?"

The guard spared Shinichi a glare, "Everyone knows the Zora live just south of Kakariko village. You can follow the river to the entrance to their domain. Why do you want to go anyway? They won't see anyone but the Royal Family."

Shinichi smiled, "Oh well thank you for telling me." He skipped away trying to look like a brainless child.

As soon as he was far enough away, he abandoned the skipping and set off for the river. He followed the river as it flowed away from Hyrule Field and deep inside a valley nestled in the mountains. He was forced to stop when the path ended and there was nothing but water below. He could clearly see the path continuing on the other side, but it was too far to jump. "Guess I have no choice but to swim."

He jumped in the water, but the fast current dragged him back down the river to Hyrule Field. "Guess that's not going to work," Ai told him.

Shinichi pulled himself out of the river, grumbling the entire time. He took his sock hat off his head and squeezed out the excess water. He slapped it back on his head, the wet hat slapping him in the face. Ai tried not to let him hear her chuckles. Shinichi suddenly smiled, "I have an idea." He closed his eyes and focused. When he opened them again, his eyes flashed red. He cupped his hands around an invisible ball and through the "ball" into the earth at his feet. A burst of flame shot from the earth. The flame was shaped like a dome that went over Shinichi and expanded a couple feet growing larger before it disappeared. The fire didn't hurt Shinichi, but it did warm him. It also dried his clothes. He turned to Ai with a grin, "See, pretty clever right?"

Ai gave him a dead pan look, "It would have been if you had looked around before using it. I think you just made yourself a very dangerous enemy."

Shinichi's smile turned to a look of confusion, "What are you…." He paused when he heard a growl coming from behind him. He turned and saw a cucco, otherwise known as a chicken. The cucco's tail feathers were singed and the tip of one still had a tiny little flame on it. "Ah, nice chicken, I didn't mean to hurt you," Shinichi began. The cucco raised its beak to the sky and let out a mighty squawk.

Shinichi's vision was suddenly filled with feathers as an army of cuccos came out of nowhere and began to attack him. "Ouch, fuck. Stupid chickens, ouch. Stop, ouch," Shinichi cried as they pecked and scratched him. He tried to run but the cuccos followed. He dived back in the river. When he broke the surface again, the army of cuccos was gone, leaving just one behind.

"Damn, stupid crazy cuccos," he stomped out of the river and made his way to the remaining chicken.

"Shinichi, what are you doing," Ai asked.

"I got an idea. This chicken is going to help me get to the Zoras." He approached the cucco with caution, but it seemed uninterested in the boy after it had its revenge. Shinichi picked the cucco up and held it above his head. Just as he expected, the cucco was to surprised to let out its call to signal its friends. Instead, the cucco let out a couple squawks of protest and waved its wings around uselessly.

Shinichi made his way back up the river, carrying the cucco the entire time. When he made it to the gap in the trail, jumped. The cucco kept flapping its wings, and instead of falling straight into the river, Shinichi slowly floated to the other side of the trail.

The chicken was used for a couple more jumps before Shinichi made it to a waterfall. He noticed that the symbol of Hyrule was on a stone in front of the waterfall. Shinichi pulled out his ocarina and began to play Kaito's lullaby. As he played, he thought of the violet eyed prince, _'Don't worry prince, I will get the final stone.'_ At the song's completion, the waterfall parted revealing a path behind it to what Shinichi knew would be the Zora's Domain.

xXx

Shinichi made it to the Zora Domain and looked around. The place didn't look much like a home to Shinichi, all he could see were stone paths wrapping around the cave with pools of water underneath. Then again, Shinichi's idea of home included a few more trees. The water people however seemed very happy where they were.

He was making his way to the throne when a Zora stopped him. It was his first time seeing one of the water people, so Shinichi couldn't help but stare. The man's skin was pale blue and he had large, double pointed fins coming from his elbows and single pointed fins shooting off his hips. His face was sharp with a long, pointed nose. He also had a mermaid tail on his head that looked a bit like a ponytail. The Zora spoke very politely, "Excuse me young lad, but I'm very bored. Would you like to play a game with me?"

Shinichi blinked at the odd question. This was not what he expected to hear from his first Zora. "Sorry, but I'm in a bit of a hurry," he answered.

The Zora pressed, "Oh but this will only take a moment. I threw some rupees to the bottom of the pool. If you can dive down and collect them all within the time limit, I will give you a silver scale. The silver scale is enchanted so that land walkers, such as yourself, can dive underwater deeper and longer."

"Do it Shinichi, it could come in handy," Ai whispered.

Shinichi shrugged, "Ok." The Zora began the timer and Shinichi dived. It took a couple seconds, and at time's Shinichi thought his lungs would burst with the lack of oxygen, but he eventually grabbed every rupee. He collected his silver scale and continued on his way. The Zora grumbled that he was still bored, but Shinichi ignored him. He couldn't afford any more interruptions.

Shinichi made his way up a set of stone steps and entered a throne room of some sorts. A rather fat Zora was sitting was sitting on the throne sobbing. Shinichi approached, "Excuse me, your highness?" The fat little Zora ignored him and continued to sob. Shinichi tried a couple more times before deciding to give up and try talking to another Zora.

He made his way back down the stairs and approached a Zora, "Excuse me, could you tell me why the king is crying?"

The Zora shook his head sadly, "The king's daughter, Sonoko disappeared. He has been crying with worry ever since."

"I'm very sorry to hear that. Where was the princess last seen?" Shinichi asked.

The Zora thought for a moment, "Her guards took her to Lake Hylia to play. The guard was distracted for a moment and the princess disappeared.

Shinichi thanked the Zora and went to talk with Ai, "Now what?"

Ai thought for a moment, "The king obviously won't even talk to use until his daughter is returned. Maybe we should go to that lake and look for some clues."

Shinichi snorted, "Do I look like a detective to you?" Ai glared. "But, I guess it is our only option, let's go." Shinichi approached another Zora, "Excuse me, could you tell me where I might find Lake Hylia?"

"The lake is a very far walk from here. It is on the opposite side of Hyrule from our domain," the Zora told Shinichi. The boy signed. The Zora continued, "However, if you have a silver scale, there is a short cut. At the bottom of the pool I'm standing next to is a secret passage that will take you to the lake in no time."

Shinichi smiled in relief. He thanked the Zora and dived into the water.

xXx

Shinichi broke the water's surface and took a grateful gulp of air. His lung filled, he swam to the closest shore. The view was beautiful. The large lake took up most of the area, but he could see a couple of small islands. Rope bridges led from land to the islands. There were also some ancient looking columns poking out of the water, leading deeper and deeper into the lake until they disappeared beneath the water's surface.

Shinichi began to walk, not completely sure what he was looking for. It wasn't like he would find a note from the missing princess telling Shinichi her location.

"Shinichi, I think I see something in the water. It looks like a bottle or something," Ai told him.

"A bottle? I should pick it up. People shouldn't litter at this beautiful lake. Besides, I could use it to store Lon Lon Milk," Shinichi grinned. He walked into the lake till the water swallowed his feet and ankles. He bent down to retrieve the bottle. "Hey Ai, there is something already inside. It looks like a piece of parchment." Shinichi opened the bottle and pulled out the paper. It was a note. "Help me, I'm waiting for you inside Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly. Signed, Princess Sonoko. P.S. Please don't tell my father."

"Well that was easy," Ai signed.

xXx

Shinichi took the short cut back to the Zora Domain and headed immediately to the Zora King. "Your highness, I have found a note from your daughter," Shinichi shouted through the king's sobbing.

The king stopped crying at once, "A note? Let me see." The fat Zora took the note and began reading. "My daughter….Jabu-Jabu…but that's impossible, our Lord would never swallow my daughter!"

"Sir, what _is_ Jabu-Jabu," Shinichi asked the king.

The Zora looked at Shinichi like he forgot the boy was there, "Oh? Oh, yes. Lord Jabu-Jabu is our guardian god, a giant fish. He has watched over the Zora race since the beginning of Zora history."

"You worship a giant fish?" Shinichi asked.

The Zora snorted, "You are from the forest, are you not. I hear you worship a giant tree."

Shinichi paused, "Fair enough. But the letter says she is inside his belly. Could that be possible?"

The Zora scratched his chin in thought, "I will admit that Jabu-Jabu has been acting strange ever since that desert man, Gin visited him. Yes, ever since that man came, we have had to restrict visits to Jabu-Jabu. Well I suppose it's settled. I can tell you are very concerned for my daughter, so you will of course rescue her. I cannot go of course; I have a kingdom to run. So go onward to rescue my fair daughter."

Shinichi looked to Ai, but she just shrugged, "Let's go, hero. The sooner we get his daughter back, the sooner we can talk to him about that stone." The Zora king moved his fat bottom aside to reveal a door his large body was hiding. Shinichi assumed this was the entrance to where he would find the giant Jabu-Jabu.

xXx

Shinichi entered the Zora Fountain, also known as the resting place of Jabu-Jabu. The giant fish was resting his great head on a sort of stone alter leading up to him. Shinichi made his way up the stone steps and to the fish. The fish opened its great mouth, and Shinichi felt himself being sucked in. He didn't fight it however as this was what he wanted.

Once he was swallowed, Shinichi looked around. He could tell he was inside the fish, but it wasn't what he was expecting. Somehow, the great fish had what looked like a normal dungeon layout inside of him, complete with doors, enemies, and puzzles. He decided to ignore the strangeness of the situation and focus on finding the princess.

After going through a couple rooms, Shinichi saw what could only be princess Sonoko. She was a Zora child about his age (if Zora's aged the same as humans) but instead of having the mermaid tail hair, she had what looked like normal, blue hair that she kept out of her eyes with a yellow headband. If it weren't for the blue skin and fins, she could pass for a human.

The princess spotted him and her face contorted in anger, "You! Who are you? I am Sonoko, Princess of the Zoras, so you had better answer me!"

Shinichi tried to smile in what he thought was a comforting way, "Princess, my name is Shinichi. Your father sent me to…"

The princess interrupted him, "My father sent you! That can't be right, he would understand that I would never want some common boy to rescue me. I thought he would come himself!"

Shinichi was now confused, "But didn't you send out that message in the bottle? And it said, 'P.S. Don't tell my father.'"

The princess studied her finger nails and said in an unconcerned voice, "I don't know what you are talking about."

The boy was getting impatient, "Look princess, your father is very worried about you!"

The princess snapped back, "I don't care! I'm not leaving yet so you might as well get out of here!" The princess turned on her hell and began walking away with her nose in the air. She suddenly disappeared as she fell down a hole, screaming the entire way.

Ai sighed in annoyance, "She just fell deeper inside Jabu-Jabu. Better go after the royal brat."

The brave boy jumped down the hole after the princess. He landed right next to Sonoko. The Zora child looked at him in annoyance, "Oh are you still here? Look, I already told you to go away. I'm safe, ok? I have been playing inside Jabu-Jabu's belly since I was a tiny child. Although now that I think about it, Lord Jabu-Jabu has been acting strange today…and I have never seen these enemies or holes in him before." The princess seemed to forget Shinichi was there for a moment, "And my precious stone my mother gave me was…"

"Yes?" Shinichi pressed.

"That's none of your business!" The princess snapped. "Just go home, I don't need you here."

Shinichi groaned, "Please, princess."

Sonoko looked him over, "Well I suppose if you are that worried about me, I will give you the honor of carrying me. But I am not leaving until I find the thing I am looking for, understand?"

Shinichi bit back a rude retort and nodded. Sonoko climbed on his back and they set off.

Fitting enemies with the princess on his back proved to be impossible, so Shinichi was often forced to set her down while he stabbed at the water type enemies floating around Jabu-Jabu's stomach. The princess refused to move on her own and simply sat where Shinichi set her waiting for him to pick her up again. She would often yawn loudly or complain about trivial things while Shinichi fought for their lives.

Some enemies could not be killed, and Shinichi was forced to simply avoid them as best he could. His sword stabs didn't seem to affect them, and neither did his slingshot. The bombs wouldn't work underwater, not that he would try them anyway. Blowing up bombs inside the Zoras' god did not sound like a good idea.

The two children and the fairy went deeper and deeper inside the Zora god, looking for any signs of whatever the princess was looking for. Inside what Shinichi guessed was the intestines (although he didn't want to think about that to hard) Shinichi saw a treasure chest. He put down the princess and peaked inside. "Look Ai, a boomerang! This will come in handy," he told his fairy.

Ai nodded, "I think you could use it to fight the enemies in here."

Sonoko huffed, "If you two are done, can we go now?" Shinichi picked her up and continued. The boomerang was very effective against the enemies in the area.

Shinichi went inside a room and found a single parasitic tentacle hanging from the ceiling. Ai commented, "You know, somewhere a fan boy/girl is squealing about tentacle rape."

The boy gaped at her, "Tentacle what? Gross Ai, jut gross." He raised his boomerang and aimed for the narrower part of the tentacle. The boomerang hit its target and killed the tentacle. With the tentacle gone, a new door was revealed.

Shinichi went through the door and a couple of hallways. He entered one last door and found himself in a room that was empty aside from a platform in the middle of the room. Sitting atop the platform was a beautiful blue stone. Princess Sonoko immediately began squirming and reaching for the stone, "That's it! That's what I have been looking for! I command you to throw me up on that platform. Do it!"

The boy growled in annoyance before he threw the princess atop the platform, none to gently I might add. The princess ignored that and picked herself up and ran to the stone. She picked it up and examined it with a smile, "My mother's stone, I found it. I was so worried when Jabu-Jabu swallowed it. I was feeding him when he suddenly swallowed me. I was so surprised, I dropped the stone. I have been looking for it ever since. Now that I have found it, I no longer need to be in here. You may take me home."

No sooner had the words left her mouth then the platform she was on rose in the air and up to the room above. "What the hell is that? An octopus?" he heard her cry. The platform began lowering again, but instead of Princess Sonoko standing atop it, there was an octopus like creature. Well, it sorta looked like an octopus…if an octopus had sex with a slug and gave birth to that thing. It was maybe twenty feet tall and had a large mouth that was in a comical looking frown.

"Shinichi! Stun it with your boomerang, than slash it with your sword!" Ai told the boy.

It took a bit of speed and timing, but eventually Shinichi defeated the Bigocto. After he dealt with octopus-snail thing, he climbed on the platform Sonoko disappeared from and the Bigocto came from. The platform rose again to a new area. Unfortunately, Princess Sonoko was nowhere to be found. It looks like he would have to track her down again.

The boy and the fairy made their way through the rooms, looking for any sign of the princess and the stone. With the boomerang, they were able to excess rooms they previously could not get to. Shinichi climbed some vines and stood outside what could only be the final door in Jabu-Jabu. They went through, and saw a terrible beast inside.

"That's a Barinade. The main body is being protected by jellyfish. You'll have to deal with them before you can attack the big guy," Ai told him. The beast looked a bit like something from a science fiction movie. The top part was made out of tentacles, some of which had fused with the inside of Jabu-Jabu. The bottom was round and was made out of soft, squishy material. As Ai said, the bottom was surrounded by jellyfish that tried to electrocute him when he got to close.

It took a combination of boomerang and sword techniques, and a lot of time, but finally the monster was done with. Once the battle was done with, a bright blue light began to shine. Shinichi noticed Sonoko was standing inside the light, with a blush on her face for some reason or another. Shinichi approached her. Her blush only increased and her expression soured, "Y-You're late! What took you so long to rescue me? You are useless. I was just lonely, ok? I was hoping my father would come find me and give me some attention. It's not easy being a princess you know."

Shinichi gave the princess a smile, "I understand, but let's continue this outside princess. Your father is very worried about you." As if waiting for those words, the light increased in brightness and Shinichi felt his feet lifting from the ground. He and the princess began floating and were consumed by the light. When the light faded, he found himself floating in the water in the Zora Fountain, Princess Sonoko next to him.

They made their way to shallow water before the princess spoke, "You know, you looked pretty cool back there. Cooler than I thought you would. But only a little! Anyway, you saved my life, so I suppose I should reward you. Just tell me what it is that you want."

Shinichi opened his mouth, but closed it again. He needed that stone, but it was clearly important to her, and didn't she mention that her mother gave it to her?

The princess smiled, "You want the Spiritual Stone, don't you? My mother gave it to me you know. She told me I should only give it to the man I am going to marry. You could call it a Zora Engagement Ring" She giggled while Shinichi gulped. "All right, I will give it to you. In the meantime, I am going to go let my father know I'm alright. See you around, hero" She winked. She began swimming back toward the Zora Domain, tossing the stone behind her, which Shinichi caught.

"It's about time, right Ai?" Shinichi grinned. The stone was actually three small sapphires with a piece of gold wrapping around all three and keeping the whole piece together. "With this, we have all three Spiritual Stones. We can finally stop Gin."

xXx

Shinichi was thinking as he walked. He remembered Sonoko's words, _'I was lonely…it isn't easy to be a princess you know!'_ He couldn't help but wonder if Prince Kaito was ever lonely. _'It would be something we have in common. The other Kokiri children avoided me because of my lack of a fairy. Ran was there, but she could only do so much.'_

Ai broke him from his thoughts, "Look Shinichi, a strange cave. Let's check it out." The cave turned out to be another Great Fairy Fountain. He played Kaito's lullaby and after a short conversation with the scantily clad fairy that appeared, he was rewarded with Farore's Wind, a useful spell that would create warp points he could teleport to in dungeons.

"Now it's time to see Prince Kaito," Shinichi told his fairy.

xXx

You guys are totally awesome. I whine a little and I got more reviews/favs/alerts. Thanks gave, I love you all. And thanks for reading.

Anyway, I looked ahead on the walkthrough I use to write these and KID will defiantly be in the next chapter. I also decided how I want to end it. For those familiar with the game, the ending of this fic will be nothing like the ending of the game, but in a good way! So let's all look forward to that :)

So I'm glad this fic is getting people interested in the game it was based off of. I absolutely love the Zelda games and love spreading the joy that is Zelda. See you next time everyone!


	4. The Hero of Time

Shinichi walked from the Zora Domain back to Hyrule Castle. His fairy, Ai could tell that something was bothering him. "Shinichi, what is it?" she asked.

Shinichi's eyes traveled to the sky. The clouds above were dark and churning, and they blocked out much of the sun's light. "Ai, I have a…bad feeling. Something…isn't right," Shinichi struggled to express what he was feeling, although it seemed he himself wasn't quite sure what that was.

"The Great Deku Tree said that you are sensitive to evil. If you feel that something is wrong, trust that feeling," Ai told her companion.

Shinichi nodded and sped up his space. As the two approached Hyrule Castle, they saw that the drawbridge was up. "That can't be right," Shinichi's frown deepened, "Its hours before sunset. Since I ventured from the Kokiri forest, I only ever saw the bridge up at night." At that moment, lightening flashed. Thunder rolled across the land and the darkness seemed to increase, making it look just like night. Shinichi's stomach did a back flip of fear, "Ai, this looks just like my dream."

The fairy, having never heard him mention any of his dreams, turned to him in confusion. Before she could question him however, the drawbridge began to lower at an alarming rate. Shinichi saw a beautiful white horse come racing out, Kaito and Jii were riding on the horse's back.

Shinichi was forced to jump to the right or risk being trampled by the horse. As he climbed back to his feet, he watched the horse race away. Kaito turned in his seat to look at Shinichi growing smaller and smaller. A combination of surprise and fear was on his race. Kaito lifted his arm and threw…something with all his might. Shinichi watched the object sail in his direction and watched it splash into the moat next to him.

The object was pushed from his mind when he turned to find the man in black armor, Gin standing behind him. The man wasn't looking at Shinichi, he was watching the blur that was the white horse growing smaller and smaller. Rather than looking angry that the two he was pursuing, for what else could he have been doing, were getting away, he had a strange smile on his face. A terrible smile that made Shinichi's insides clench in fear. "Hm, so I lost him," Gin said to himself. He turned his attention to Shinichi, either unsurprised or uncaring that he was there, "You, boy. You must have seen the white horse gallop past, which way did they go? Answer me!" Shinichi kept silent and glared defiantly at the man. The man chuckled, "So you think you can protect them from me….you've got guts kid."

Shinichi couldn't speak, but his body seemed to act on its own. His sword was suddenly in his hand, though he had no memory of drawing it. Gin's eyes sparked with sick amusement, "You think you can take me, boy? I like your attitude. But you are a pathetic fool. Do you not realize who you are dealing with? I am Gin! And soon, I will rule this land." Gin raised his hand, and with little effort, he shot a golden ball of energy at Shinichi.

The ball hit its target and for a brief moment, Shinichi thought his body was on fire. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground. The pain soon faded leaving behind just a memory and an ache in his muscles. When Shinichi picked himself up off the ground, the black horse was galloping away, probably looking for the white one carrying the prince and Jii.

For their sake, Shinichi hoped they were never found.

xXx

The dark clouds over Hyrule seemed to have disappeared with the man in black armor. Shinichi's eyes scanned the horizon but couldn't see a sign of the prince or Gin. Shinichi felt slightly numb, "Ai, the people of Castle town…"

The fairy shook her head sadly, "I don't sense much live energy coming from the town surrounding the castle. That doesn't mean much however, they could have escaped, perhaps seeking refuge in Kakariko village. But the king….I don't sense his energy at all."

'_Kaito's dad…poor Kaito, and poor Hyrule. What will this land do without its king?'_ Shinichi thought.

"Come Shinichi, Prince Kaito threw something in that moat for a reason. We should see what it is," the small fairy told Shinichi.

Shinichi nodded and dove into the water. The water was pretty shallow, so it wasn't hard to find whatever it was he was looking for. His hand closed around something and he made for the surface. He climbed out and looked at the object in his hand, it was an ocarina.

The ocarina was a beautiful blue color and glowed with a mystical light. "Shinichi, this is the Ocarina of Time, the treasure of the royal family and the key to getting into the Sacred Realm," Ai told and Shinichi nodded. Her explanation was unnecessary; he already knew what it was. He could feel it inside him.

Actually, he could feel something else inside him as well. He felt warm, really warm. The warmth was growing inside him, spreading out from his chest. It was very pleasant feeling. He closed his eyes for a moment as he felt the warmth spread. Suddenly he heard Prince Kaito's voice, "Shinichi, can you hear me?"

Shinichi opened his eyes and saw the young prince turned away from him. He was about to reach out to the prince but realized that the edges around Kaito were blurred. He was looking at a memory. The prince was standing inside what looked like a temple, facing an alter of some sort.

"Shinichi, when you hold this Ocarina in your hand, I won't be around anymore," the prince continued. Shinichi's fists clenched, angry that he couldn't do anything to help the prince. "I wanted to wait for you Shinichi, but I couldn't delay any longer." The prince turned and faced in Shinichi's direction. The fairy boy noticed that the prince's eyes were closed and he had a sad frown on his face, "But I can at least leave you with the Ocarina of Time…and this melody. This melody…will open the Door of Time."

The prince raised the Ocarina of Time to his lips and began to play. The song was beautiful and Shinichi could feel a strange power from it. As he watched the memory, Shinichi raised the Ocarina, the same one the prince was playing in the memory, to his own lips and began to play.

As he completed the song, the vision began to fade. He couldn't see the prince anymore and he could still hear him. The voice was quickly fading as well and the last thing Shinichi heard from it the prince commanding him, "Shinichi, play the Song of Time in front of the alter in the Temple of Time. You _must_ protect the Triforce."

xXx

It didn't take long for Shinichi to find the Temple of Time. He entered the building and ran to the altar. The boy took out the Ocarina of Time and began to play. As he played, the three Spiritual Stones floated out of his pockets and gently placed themselves at the altar. It was clear that the altar was made to hold the stones.

As Shinichi played, he noticed a door behind the altar. The door looked like the sun with its rays of light shining down to the bottom of the door. The symbol of Hyrule, the Triforce, was above the door and it began to glow. Shinichi finished the song, and the sun door opened.

The boy and fairy ran though the door and entered a circular room. The room was empty except for a raised platform with a sword set in the ground. Ai gasped next to him, "Shinichi…th-that's….the sacred blade. It's the Master Sword!" The tiny fairy flew over to the blade and examined it. "This sword is said to be able to vanquish any evil. It's legendary. It's been here the entire time!"

Shinichi slowly approached the blade. The sword must have been in here for centuries, yet the blade shone brightly as if it was forged only yesterday. The purple hilt looked sturdy and unused, despite the legends recounting heroes from the past using the sword.

Without thought, Shinichi reached out a hand and grabbed the hilt. The sword was about as long as he was tall and he had to use his second hand just to pull it from its holding place in the ground. The moment he pulled it from the ground, a strange blue light rose in a circle around him.

And then Gin was just suddenly there.

He gave the boy a very arrogant look, "Good job kid. I knew you would hold the keys to the sacred realm. I followed you and you led me right to the Door of Time. I owe it all to you, kid." He threw his head back and laughed. As Gin laughed, Shinichi felt his vision fading. He tried desperately to keep his eyes open, but it was no use.

The last thing he heard before everything went black was Gin's laughter.

xXx

"Shinichi…Wake up…chosen one…." Shinichi didn't recognize the voice that was calling him. He opened his eyes and saw that he was still standing on the platform that held the Master Sword. The temple surrounding it seemed to have vanished however. Six pedestals surrounded him, each one a different color. It was very dark and he couldn't see much, but waterfalls floated in random places around him. He couldn't tell where the water was coming from, it seemed to simply appear from nowhere. Over all, the place was very surreal and certainly not something one would normally see without the aid of various hallucinogens. Strange, he didn't remember eating any funny looking mushrooms going to the temple.

He looked around some more and noticed an elder man standing on one of the golden pedestals. He wore long robes of different warm colors. The man began to speak, _"Hello Shinichi. I am Agasa and I am one of the ancient sages. Ages ago, we ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm...This is the Chamber of Sages, inside the Temple of Light...The Temple of Light, situated in the very center of the Sacred Realm, is the last stronghold against Gin's evil forces. The Master Sword-the evil-destroying sword that you pulled out of the Pedestal of Time-was the final key to the Sacred Realm. The Master Sword is a sacred blade which evil ones may never touch...Only one worthy of the title of "Hero of Time" can pull it from the Pedestal of Time..."_

Shinichi's head was spinning with all of this new information. And what was that last part? Was Agasa saying he was the "Hero of Time?" He nodded to the ancient sage to tell him that he was following so far. He had a feeling that Agasa wasn't done and had more to tell him.

"_However, you were too young to be the Hero of Time...Therefore; your spirit was sealed here for seven years. And now that you are old enough, the time has come for you to awaken as the Hero of Time! Well, do you understand your destiny?"_ Agasa paused for a moment.

"Wait, so I have been inside this temple for seven years?" Shinichi questioned.

"Shinichi, I think you need to look at yourself," Ai suddenly spoke up.

"What are you…" Shinichi asked before he looked at his hands. When had they gotten so big? When had the ground gotten so far away? Since when was he this tall! "I'm an adult!" Shinichi spoke with surprise.

Agasa seemed impatient to continue, _"But, remember...Though you opened the Door of Time in the name of peace...Gin, the Gerudo King of Thieves, used it to enter this forbidden Sacred Realm! He obtained the Triforce from the Temple of Light, and with its power, he became the King of Evil...  
>His evil power radiated from the temples of Hyrule, and in seven short years, it transformed Hyrule<br>into a world of monsters. _

_My power now has only little influence, even in this Sacred Realm... Namely, this Chamber of Sages. But there is still hope...The power of the Sages remains. When the power of all the Sages is awakened...The Sages' Seals will contain all the evil power in the void of the Realm...I, Agasa, am one of the Sages...And...Your power to fight together with the Sages makes you the Hero of Time! The Hero of Time, chosen by the Master Sword! Keep my spirit with you...And, find the power of the other Sages and add their might to your own!"_

Shinichi nodded, "So basically you are saying that it was my destiny to take the Master Sword and vanquish Gin. Gin managed to get the Triforce and turned Hyrule into a world of living hell. And the only way to overthrow him is to gather the power of the six sages, you being one of them. Oh, and I'm an adult now. Is that all?"

Agasa nodded approvingly, _"take this Light Medallion. It is the first of the six medallions that you must recover. The other five sages hold the others and you will be presented with the medallions when their power awakens."_ The medallion was about as big as his head and was golden in color. On one side was the Triforce symbol, and on the other was a relief of three circles and three triangles in alternating order.

The light increased in brightness and Shinichi closed his eyes to protect them. He heard Agasa, but the sage's voice seemed to be fading, "_Go and find the other sages. You must save Hyrule!"_

When Shinichi opened his eyes again, he was standing back in the Temple of Time.

xXx

Shinichi took a moment to fully examine his body and test moving in it. Too suddenly age seven years was quite a shock. But he was a Kokiri child, wasn't he? So it shouldn't even be possible to grow up at all.

A new voice behind him answered his unasked question, "The Kokiri race cannot age. They forever remain children in both mind and body. The fact that you have aged says that you are not one of the Kokiri."

It was something Shinichi had begun to suspect, but it still was a bit of a shock to hear. "I guess it all makes sense now. Why my fairy companion came so late, why most of the other Kokiri shunned me, why I was able to leave the forest in the first place…" he admitted sadly.

He turned to the owner of the voice. It was a boy about his age wearing a strange outfit. The first thought that came to mind was ninja, but why would a ninja wear so much white? The boy was maybe a head taller than he was, and wore a body suit, like an exoskeleton of some sort, that clung tightly to his body. Shinichi couldn't help but blush at the site of the other boy's well toned chest. He was able to see every curve, every muscle, even every breath the boy took. His wrists were wrapped tightly in bandages, although that seemed like more of a fashion statement than because of injury. His head was also wrapped in a bandaged turban, but some dark chocolate locks of hair still escaped to cover some of his face. A single violet eye peaked out from behind his hair. The rest of his face was covered by a cowl.

(AN: for anyone not familiar with the game, I _highly_ suggest you look up "sheik" just so you know what the hell I was talking about in the paragraph above.)

"So if I'm not a Kokiri, what am I?" Shinichi asked.

The boy seemed to roll the question around in his mind, "my guess would be a Hylian. Though that doesn't explain why you have a fairy. She may have come late, but you still have one. And you were able to enter the Kokiri forest. Normally, when someone enters the forest, they turn into a monster. Nobody is allowed to live in the forest except for the children."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but who are you?" Ai asked. Shinichi's cheeks turned faintly pink. Here he was chatting the day away with a total stranger, what the hell was he thinking?"

The boy smiled, or at least Shinichi thought he was smiling. The one eye he could see looked happy at least, "I am KID, last survivor of the Sheikahs."

"Oh, uh I'm Shinichi," why was it suddenly so hard to think? This must be those hormone things he had heard about. He was supposed to be forever a child; he wasn't suppose to have to learn about these strange feelings. It was so unfair.

Ok, that damn eye was defiantly smiling now, "I know who you are, hero." This only caused Shinichi to blush harder. "I am here to help you on your journey. I have some information I think you will find helpful."

"I think we can trust him, Shinichi. I don't sense any evil intentions coming from him," Ai informed. Shinichi nodded.

"This is the legend of the temples passed down by my people, the Sheikahs. When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples. One in a deep forest...One on a high mountain...One under a vast lake...One within the house of the dead...One inside a goddess of the sand...Together with the Hero of Time, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world... If you believe the legend, you have no choice. You must look for the five temples and awaken the five Sages..." KID recited.

"Looks like we have some traveling to do," Shinichi told Ai. The fairy nodded, not really caring. If she got tired, she could simply ride under Shinichi's sock hat. Ah, the perks of being small.

"One Sage is waiting for the time of awakening in the Forest Temple. The Sage is a girl I am sure you  
>know...Because of the evil power in the temple, she cannot hear the awakening call from the Sacred<br>Realm," the Sheikah told the boy.

Shinichi frowned in confusion; he didn't know any sages, did he? But it sounded like the person wouldn't know they were a sage until they heard the call. He blinked in realization, "Do you mean Ran?"

Instead of answering, KID simply smiled before telling the boy-turned-adult, "Before you go to the Forest Temple, I would suggest you go to Kakariko village, or more specifically, the graveyard in Kakariko village. There you will find an item that will surely help you into the Temple."

"Thank you KID, I know your information will be a great help," Shinichi told the shadow ninja.

"I would do anything to help such a handsome man in need," the eye winked. Shinichi sputtered and KID threw his head back to laughed. The last Sheikah threw something on the ground and a cloud of smoke covered him. When the smoke floated away, KID was gone. His voice echoed around the Temple, "I'll see you later, Hero.

xXx

Thank you everyone that is reading this. Despite the fact that the plot is pretty much written for me, this fic isn't exactly easy to write. The hardest part of trying to sort out what goes into the fic, and what doesn't. Average playing time for the game is about 50 hours, I think. That's a long game! There is so much in the game that I have to ignore for various reasons.

Also, to all my readers unfamiliar with the game, might I suggest youtubeing the melodies? Not required, just a suggestion :)

The melodies' names are listed below:

Zelda's lullaby

Song of Time

**(in later chapters)**

Saria's Song

Minuet of Forest

Bolero of Fire

Serenade of Water

Requiem of Spirit

Nocturne of Shadow

Prelude of Light

**(possibly in a chapter)**

Epona's Song

Song of Storms


	5. The Forest Sage

"So," the tiny voice started.

"So…?" Shinichi asked.

"I noticed you couldn't keep your eyes off of the Sheikah," she said rather bluntly.

Shinichi scowled without looking at her, "I don't know what you are talking about." Despite his words, his cheeks were starting to color. _'Stupid blush…betraying my thought…"_

Instead of answering, Ai merely chuckled. She yawned and stretched from her position riding atop his hat, "Aren't we at Kakariko Graveyard yet? The sun is setting."

"And why should you care? It's not like you are trotting back and forth across Hyrule Field. You sound pretty comfy riding on my head all day," Shinichi growled.

The fairy waved her hand as if she was waving his words away, "Your legs are longer than mine and fairy wings aren't meant for long flights. We fairies normally keep to the forest you know. Besides, you shouldn't complain about all of the exercise you are getting. I know that KID just _couldn't_ keep his eyes off you."

The color in his cheeks intensified, "L-like I care about that! I don't care if that pervy ninja was checking me out!" Shinichi was by now walking through Kakariko village toward the back of the town. At his shout, a couple of the villagers turned and stared.

Shinichi ducked his head in embarrassment and Ai chuckled at his discomfort. The rest of the walk was in silence. By the time they made it to the small graveyard, it was full dark. There weren't many headstones in the cemetery, but despite that it still had a Poe or two floating around. He avoided the lantern bearing ghosts and searched the yard.

"Shinichi, check this out," he heard Ai call him.

Shinichi obeyed and inspected the headstone she was floating near, "It's blank. There isn't even a name."

"Seems a little suspicious if you ask me," the fairy told him. Shinichi studied the stone and the ground around it for a moment longer. He made an "Ah-ha" noise and began pushing the stone. "What are you doing?" Ai hissed. He ignored her and continued pushing on the stone. He gave a grunt and a final push and at last the stone began to slide. Underneath the headstone was a hole, but not the kind one would dig to bury a casket. It looked deep, _really_ deep, and it was only a couple feet in length and width.

"I think I'm supposed to climb down," the look on his face as he spoke was very sour. He lowered himself into the hole and was able to find spots in the wall for his hands and feet to grip. He climbed lower and lower, quickly losing site of the graveyard. The darkness blinded him, and he couldn't see how far the bottom was. Ai stayed near the wall he clung to, the light from her glowing body barely illuminating more foot holds for him as he climbed lower.

He finally reached the bottom and as soon as his feet touched the floor, torches lit. He was in a chamber of some sort with a stone floor and columns were placed around the walls. Before he could inspect it farther, a man floated to his side. Wait, float?

"Heh heh heh, young man…are you fast on your feet?" It wasn't a man, but a ghost. He looked like he might have been the caretaker of the yard when he was alive. The ghost of the graveyard continued, "I'm very fast. Follow me if you dare. If you can keep up with me, I might give you something."

With those final words, the ghost let out a creepy laughter and was off. He floated backwards, keeping an eye on Shinichi the entire time as he ran after the ghost. Shinichi ran as fast as he could, but he still struggled to keep up. The ghost would sometimes throw balls of fire at him, like the ghost was mocking him.

The fairy boy kept his eyes on the ghost as he ran, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see that he was being led through a labyrinth. He shuddered to think what might happen if he couldn't keep up with the ghost and got lost. He saw a doorway and sensed that he was near the end. He put on a final burst of speed, which was lucky because the door slammed shut just a moment after he went through.

The ghost was waiting for him. He was floating in a smaller chamber that had an alter in the center. At the top was a chest. Shinichi looked at the ghost who nodded, so the boy opened the chest. Inside was a strange object he had never seen before. It had a handle to hold in his fist and was attached to a metal arrowhead. The ghost explained, "This is my hookshot; it's a spring loaded chain. You can use it to kill weaker enemies, temporarily stun the stronger ones, and hit switches. More importantly, it can bring small items to you, and pull you to places. Since I'm dead now, I no longer have use for it. You can have it now."

Shinichi grinned, "Thank you. This has to be what KID was talking about. Now I can get inside the Forest Temple and awaken the first sage."

xXx

Shinichi looked around, his face pale, "What happened to this place?"

He was looking at what was once the peaceful home of the Kokiri. It didn't look so peaceful anymore. The forest seemed darker, more intimidating. It was starting to become overgrown; weeds were growing over paths that were once well traveled. The huts and tree-houses that belonged to the children looked abandoned. Gardens were left unattended and he didn't see a single child playing outside. The worst part was the monster. Everywhere Shinichi looked, he saw them. Big Deku Baba, the carnivorous plants large enough to swallow a Kokiri entirely, Deku Scrubs, the monsters that hid in the bushes and spit rocks at anyone within site, and even the Skull Children that use to be shy and a minor annoyance were now wild and hostile.

The glow that Ai's tiny body gave off was dimmer than normal, but her voice was steady when she answered, "Without the Deku Tree, there is no longer anything standing between the forest and the monsters. The monsters were able to move in."

Shinichi swallowed and forced himself to ask, "And the Kokiri?"

The fairy was silent and Shinichi felt a sinking in his chest. But then Ai caught his attention, "Look, at the window!" Shinichi looked up just in time to see a Kokiri child peeking at him through her window. She saw Shinichi looking at her and quickly ducked so he could no longer see her.

"That was Ayumi," he sighed with relief. He looked at another house and saw another Kokiri curtain twitch as if someone was just peeking through, "And that was Mitsuhiko! I think the children are hiding in their houses."

Ai's glow seemed brighter now, "Let's get going. The sooner we awaken the sage, the sooner we can defeat Gin and everything can go back to normal."

They kept walking; looking for the Temple they knew was in the forest somewhere. Ai didn't notice that her companion was deep in thought. _'Back to normal, huh? But things can't exactly go back for me, can they?...I cannot return to the forest. If I do not die on my quest, where will I go after I defeat Gin? Before I left, all I knew was the forest.'_

His fairy broke him from his thoughts, "Look, Moblins. They look like they are guarding something, we must be close. I think it would be best to sneak past them rather than fight. I can see three, no four of them."

The boy agreed. He hid behind a large boulder and waited. He could see that the Moblins were patrolling the same paths, back and forth, back and forth. If he timed it right, he could sneak by without being seen. Shinichi smirked.

A few minutes later, he was climbing a set of stone steps, the Moblins patrolling below unaware that he made it this far. At the top of the stairs stood an ancient temple, or the front of it at least. The rest seemed to be set inside the face of a cliff.

"The flow of time is always cruel. Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it."

Shinichi's heart skipped a beat when he heard the familiar voice. He smiled as he turned around, "KID."

The Sheikah was indeed behind him. His one visible eye was smiling, "A thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days."

Shinichi smiled at the other man, "I think you just like speaking like that because it makes you sound cool."

KID blinked, than began to laugh. He began to step closer, only stopping when he was no more than eight inches away. He held up a flower, a Hylian Rose* to be more exact. The petals were a beautiful cobalt blue. KID offered the rose to Shinichi, who began sputtering, "That's the Hylian Rose, also known as the Lover's Rose!"

KID chuckled, "Partially true, this _is_ the Hylian Rose. Traditionally, the flower was a symbol of new beginnings. The rose was given from parents to children during coming-of-age ceremonies, from wives to husbands that would soon be fathers, and bouquets were even given to princes that were to be kings. But the beautiful blue color made it a favorite among brides. The new trend is to use it during weddings, thus making it nicknamed the Lover's Rose."

The Sheikah tucked the rose behind Shinichi's ear, "I give you this flower referring to the older, traditional meaning, as a sign of our new friendship. Though if you did want to use it as a symbol of love, I'm not sure I could say no to such an attractive man" He winked.

Shinichi felt like his face was on fire, "Well, uh, as much as I enjoy this, uh chat, I have a temple to conquer, Sages to awaken, kingdoms, you know. So did you come to speak with me for a reason, or do you just enjoy messing with me?"

Another chuckle, "Oh I do enjoy teasing you, but no that is not the foremost reason that I am here. I have come to teach you another melody that will help you on your quest. This song is called the Minuet of Forest. Play it for the sage after you defeat the beast in the temple."

KID pulled out a small stringed instrument, perhaps a lyre though Shinichi couldn't be sure, and used nimble fingers to pluck the strings and play a lighthearted melody. It didn't take long for the young hero to be able to follow the melody. He took out his ocarina and played along. Rather than stop like Shinichi thought he would, KID continued to play.

Ocarina and lyre played together, the instruments harmonizing beautifully rather than competing like one might expect. Shinichi allowed his eyes to close as he played, and for a moment, everything fell away, everything but the music.

The song ended and the hero slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that KID was gone. The second thing he noticed was that it was raining Hylian Rose petals. KID's voice whispered in his ear, "Until next time." Shinichi turned, but there was nobody there.

xXx

The door to the Forest Temple was at the top of a set of stone stairs; the problem was that most of the stairs had collapsed long ago. Shinichi was able to put his new equipment, the hookshot to use. He targeted a torch that was next to the door and released the hook. The weapon worked perfectly and he was able to retract the chain and pull himself to the door.

He met some minor enemies in the entry room and the entry hallway, but he made quick work of them. The next room was the grand hall. The temple must have been beautiful when it was built, but time had turned the magnificent building to ancient ruins. The roof had broken in some places revealing sunlight from outside, the rays illuminating flurries of dust that floated in the air. Some of the walls were slowly being covered by vines.

In the center of the grand hall were four torches. Their flames were unnaturally colored, one blue, one violet, one green, and one a vivid red. Besides the one he came in, five doors were located in the circular room. Shinichi stared at them trying to figure out which one he should go through first.

Before he could make up his mind, four ghosts came into the room, each one wearing robes the same colors as the torches. Before he could stop them, the Poes each floated to a torch and captured the flames in lanterns they held. "Hey, stop that!" he called out to them. The ghosts cackled at him, mocking him, before disappearing.

"Those were the Poe Sisters: Amy, Beth, Joelle, and Meg. I never would have guessed that they were living in here now. I think it would be best if we found them and got the torch flames back. They must have taken them for a reason, and I'm sure we need them for something," Ai mumbled.

Shinichi nodded but then stopped, "Wait, Meg? What kind of ghost would be named Meg?** You know what, never mind. I have more important things to worry about. It's time to track down some ghosts."

xXx

The two had gone through much of the temple, but had not seen any sign of the Poe Sisters. Shinichi could feel a headache forming behind his eyes and took his frustrations out on the poor Stalfos, an animated skeleton that wore armor and used a large sword to attack, that dared cross his path. A second Stalfos whimpered as he watched the first shatter in defeat at the hero's feet. It tried to sneak away, but Shinichi turned to and snarled, "Oh no you don't, get back here." The Stalfos cried a little, or would have if it still had tear ducts, before it was also defeated.

After the skeleton was defeated, a chest appeared. "Cool, the best stuff always appears after I defeat some enemy," Shinichi talked as he opened the chest. Inside was a bow. The thing was obviously old, but was still in excellent condition. A quiver lay beside it, with a bundle of arrows inside, the tips looked very sharp.

"That should come in handy," Ai replied. She watched Shinichi fiddle with the bow and an arrow. He seemed to be having difficulties. "Do you know what you are-AH!" Ai was forced to the right as an arrow flew past her, nearly taking her out on the way.

"Opps, sorry Ai. I should probably practice a couple times," Shinichi mumbled sheepishly.

xXx

Shinichi entered a new part of the temple he hadn't been in before. The room had three framed portraits, two of which were blank, but the last had a picture of Joelle. The Poe was wearing a vivid red robe, the bottom of which was torn terribly. She appeared to be wearing a high straw hat that formed a peak at the top of her head. In her hand was a lantern with a vivid red flame. Shinichi moved closer to the painting, but it suddenly cackled at him the image disappeared.

"That's not a painting, she's inside the frame! Shoot her from afar with an arrow, Shinichi!" Ai instructed.

Shinichi turned and looked at the other frames. The image of the Poe Sister was now in one of the frames that had previously been blank. He notched an arrow to the bow and aimed for the image of Joelle. This time, his aim was true and the arrow passed from the frame, striking the red Poe. The Poe shrieked and fled to another frame. Shinichi shot her again, and then again. With her paintings destroyed, the red Poe was forced to face Shinichi, who made quick work of her with the Master Sword.

Once Joelle was defeated, the flame floated on its own back in the direction of the grand hall. "One down, three to go," Shinichi muttered.

Shinichi snagged a key that the Poe dropped and used it to unlock a door, gaining access to another new room. This room also had three frames, with one holding the image of Beth, the blue Poe. Her robe was also torn (must be a ghost thing) and had a hood attached to it. She also carried a torch with a blue flame. Shinichi defeated her the same way he defeated Joelle.

The hero had to do a little more searching before he found Amy, the green Poe. The third sister also had a hood attached to her robe, but the top had straw sticking out of it. Maybe she admired her sisters Beth and Joelle?

The ghost didn't reveal herself immediately, it was only after Shinichi solved a puzzle by rearranging some stone blocks that she appeared. It would seem the fight with her was more a test of the mind rather than simply shooting arrows at portraits. In the end, she followed the same fate as her other two sisters.

"Now we just need to find Meg. You know, I bet it's because I mocked her name, which must be the reason she is so hard to find. And something tells me the fight with her is going to be a bitch," Shinichi growled, his headache returning.

Shinichi searched the temple some more until he found himself back in the grand hall. He noticed that three of the torches had relit themselves; the flames had obviously found their way back. Which was weird, but he tried not to think about it too hard.

Floating in the center of the torches was the final Poe Sister, Meg. She was dressed in violet and wore an elaborate headdress with three large rubies set in the center. She cackled madly before charging at the hero in green. Shinichi readied himself, but was caught off guard when four Meg's were suddenly surrounding him.

"Three of them are illusions. You must find the real one," Ai told him.

"Easier said than done, they all look real to me," his eyes darted back and forth, looking for something that would give them away.

As one, the four ghosts drew closer preparing to attack. That's when he heard it; from his left he heard laughter. The other three remained silent. Shinichi struck out with his sword and as he hit her, the other three illusions disappeared. After that, defeating Meg was child's play.

xXx

Shinichi tip a sip of some reviving potion, "Now that the Poe Sisters are gone, the torches have relit, and it opened up the doorway to the boss room."

Ai nodded, "Once we defeat whatever waits inside, the sage will be able to awaken."

He gulped down the rest of the potion, "Right, let's get this over with. I'm starting to miss fresh air."

Ai chuckled, "There's that, and there's also the fact that the sooner you get out of here, the sooner you can see that Sheikah again."

Shinichi blushed, "Hyrule, I also have to save Hyrule." He frowned, "I will be much happier once I know Prince Kaito is safe. I wonder where he is."

By now Shinichi was in the boss's chamber. The room was octagonal in shape and looked like a small art gallery. Multiples of the same painting was hung on each wall; the paintings shown a gloomy looking path leading off into the distance. "All of these paintings remind me of the fights with the first two Poe sisters. I wonder if we will have to defeat the boss of the temple in the same way," Shinichi thought aloud.

"You won't be able to defeat the enemy this time, foolish boy," Shinichi turned around to see Gin. "I created him myself. He is my masterpiece, I call him Phantom Gin. You will die in this chamber, _hero_."

Gin's shape began to waver and then disappeared completely. In his place stood a heavily armored man riding a horse that was also covered in armor. All Shinichi could see of the man himself was a pair of glowing yellow eyes.

The phantom turned his horse around and ran toward one of the paintings. Rather than crashing into it, a patrol opened and swallowed the two. When the portal closed again, Shinichi now saw a painting of the phantom galloping up the path until he disappeared from view.

'_That must mean he is going to come out of one of the other paintings,'_ Shinichi thought. He circled around looking at each painting. After a moment, he saw not one, but _two_ Phantom Gins galloping back up the path. _'Which one is the real phantom!'_ Shinichi thought wildly. He cocked an arrow but before he could fire, one of the phantoms turned around and galloped away from Shinichi.

The real phantom jumped out of the painting and sent a bolt of lightning at the hero before jumping into another painting. The bolt was too fast and hit Shinichi. "AHHHHHH!" he screamed in pain. The pain faded and the hero sagged with relief to the floor.

"Shinichi, get up! He's coming back! The illusion is the phantom that turns and runs away," Ai was screaming at him.

He struggled to his feet and watched as the two paintings got closer and closer. At the last second, Shinichi saw one of them, the illusion, turn and gallop away. The hero quickly raised his bow and fired at the real phantom. The arrow hit and the phantom grunted in pain. His horse turned and galloped back into the painting, but Phantom Gin jumped out of the painting into the room with Shinichi. He floated in the air, levitating high above the hero. His eyes glowed with hatred as he stared down at the hero. The phantom raised his sword and sent a ball of lightning at Shinichi.

"Hell no, that lightning hurt," the hero yelled. Pure reflex made him race his sword and bat the ball back at the phantom. The phantom wasn't expecting this and was hit with his own lightning. He groaned in pain and fell from the air back to the ground. Shinichi ran to the phantom and stabbed him directly into the chest.

The phantom screamed and Shinichi heard the real Gin's voice echo throughout the chamber, "You did quite well, kid. I suppose you have gained some skill. But you have only defeated my phantom. The fight with the real thing will not be so easy, I assure you." The body of the phantom began to float again, and its body caught on fire. The body floated to the center of the room where another portal opened in the center of the floor. Gin spoke again, "What a worthless creation that ghost was. For failing me, I will banish him to the gap between dimensions." The phantom screamed in fear as his body was swallowed by the portal.

xXx

Shinichi opened his eyes and found himself in the Chamber of Sages again. Agasa wasn't there, but someone very familiar was.

"Ran," he whispered.

She smiled at him, "Shinichi, thank you. Because of you, I was able to awaken as the Forest Sage. I knew you would come back, someday."

"Ran, I…" Shinichi began but stopped. What was there to say?

She shook her head, "its ok. It is destiny that you and I cannot live in the same world together. I will remain here in the chamber to help you on your journey. I will give you the Forest Medallion so that you may defeat Gin." She raised her arms high above her head and a green medallion slowly floated down into Shinichi's waiting hands. It had the Triforce on one side and four long tildes on the other***.

"Shinichi, we will always be friends," Ran told him as he felt himself being transported from the chamber.

xXx

When Shinichi opened his eyes again, he was standing in front of the dead tree that was once the Great Deku Tree. He looked up at the tree in sadness for a moment, before turning to leave. He paused when he saw a tiny plant pocking out of the ground. The leaves were twitching. What the hell? Shinichi crouched next to the plant trying to get a closer look. The leaves were shaking harder now, despite the lack of wind. He looked closer and suddenly a small tree sprang from the ground.

"AHHH!" Shinichi screamed in surprise as he fell backward on his ass. He picked himself up and looked at the smiling tree. It was as tall as he was, and was very chubby. Who knew trees could be chubby?

"Hi! I'm the Deku Tree Sprout," the small tree introduced itself. "I would like to thank you Shinichi. You broke the curse on the Forest Temple and Ran was able to awaken the Forest Sage. Her power has spread throughout the forest riding it of the monsters that have been here for the past seven years. Now I am able to grow and flourish."

Shinichi smiled, "I'm happy to help, Deku Sprout."

"Shinichi, have you seen any of the other Kokiri children?" the tree asked.

"I saw them peeking at the windows of their houses. None of them seemed to recognize me, so I didn't approach them," Shinichi answered.

"You are right, they didn't recognize you. The Kokiri do not age. You have because you are not part of the Kokiri race," the sprout told him.

Shinichi nodded, "Yes, I know that now. Do you know what race I am? How I came to the forest?"

"You are a Hylian, young Hero. Some years ago, before the great king of Hyrule unified the lands, there was a fierce war in our world. One day, a woman tried to escape the dangers the war, she wanted to protect her newly born baby boy. She ran to this forbidden forest seeking refuge, but she was gravely injured. She knew she was dying and she had no choice but to entrust the safety of her baby to the guardian spirit of the forest, the Great Deku Tree. He raised you as a Kokiri, but he could sense that you had been touched by destiny, and he knew that one day, you would be called upon to save all of Hyrule. That day, has arrived, young hero," the sprout finished his speech.

"I understand. Thank you for telling me, Great Deku Sprout. I know what I must do. But will the Kokiri be ok?" he couldn't help but ask.

The sprout's smile widened, "Ran has helped me grow, but her power must now be focused on helping you on your journey, but do not worry! I am now powerful enough to protect this forest. Everything will go back to normal for the Kokiri."

xXx

This seems like a good place to stop. This chapter was really hard to write for some reason. There were so many parts that I didn't like and had to retype. Hopefully the rest of the chapters won't be such a bitch.

*= I totally made the Hylian Rose up.

* *= If you don't get the joke, look at my name

***= for those that do not know, a tilde looks like this symbol ~.


	6. The Fire Sage

Warning: Shinichi is a bit OOC in this one.

Shinichi exited the forest and looked upon Hyrule field. He remembered the last time he exited the forest and looked upon the field for the first time. He paused when his eyes found Death Mountain, where the Gorons live. "Ai, look at the mountain," he told her.

She whistled, "That's some dark cloud hanging around the mountain. That practically spells out Gin. We should go help; we need the Fire Medallion anyways so we have to go eventually."

Shinichi nodded in agreement and set off for the mountain.

His long legs quickly carried him to Kakariko village and up the trail leading to the Goron city. He noticed the trail was Goron free, but thought nothing of it. Or he did until he entered the city and noticed that it was almost deserted.

"That's strange, I only see one Goron," Shinichi commented. The single Goron was curled in a ball and rolling around and around the city. "Excuse me," Shinichi started but the Goron rolled past him. He waited till the Goron was coming back. "Can I talk to you?" but the Goron ignored him and kept rolling by.

"Throw a bomb at him," Ai suggested.

"What? No way!" Shinichi cried.

Ai yelled in frustration, "His body is as hard as rock, he will be fine. Throw the damn bomb!"

Shinichi glared at her but through a bomb at the rolling Goron. The bomb exploded and Shinichi thought he heard the Goron giggle and stopped rolling. _'Did it tickle? Never mind, I don't want to know,'_ Shinichi thought to himself.

"How dare you throw that tickling torture device at me! You must be a servant of Gin's. Well here my name and tremble, evil one. I am Shinichi, Hero of the Gorons!" the Goron bellowed at Shinichi.

Shinichi blinked in surprise, "Wow, Shinichi isn't exactly a common name. I never met someone that shared my name before."

The Goron heard, "Wait, your name is actually Shinichi? Then you must be the hero that helped us Gorons seven years ago."

"Uh, yeah that was me, and it was nothing," the hero answered modestly.

The Goron continued, "My father is Hattori, do you remember him? He named me Shinichi after you because you were so brave, even though he tells me you were but a child when you defeated the beast in the Dodongo Cave. It's a cool name and very unusual for a Goron. I like it."

Shinichi mumbled, "It was nothing. Glad you like the name, I guess."

The Goron started bouncing from foot to foot in happiness, "I'm so glad I met you, you are a hero and a legend to us Gorons. Do you think I could have your autograph? You could sign it: To my friend, Shinichi of the Gorons."

Shinichi was now a bit pink and was searching for something to say, "Uh, well, you see, uh…."

The Goron looked down in shame, "Yeah, I guess you are right. Now isn't really the time. Shinichi, I must ask you to help us Gorons again! My dad, King Hattori went to the Fire Temple. An evil dragon has awakened and my dad went to try to stop it. My dad is strong, and very brave, but I still fear that the dragon will eat him."

When he finished that last sentence, Shinichi the Goron began to cry. Ai groaned in annoyance, "You better try to calm him down. Try talking to him some more. Try asking him for some more information about the dragon."

After a couple tries, the Goron began to tell his story, "A long time ago, there was an evil dragon living in this mountain. He was named Volvagia. The dragon terrorized the Gorons, and ate many of them. There is a myth that another hero came to fight the dragon. He used a huge hammer and BOOM! They say that this is just a myth, but I know it's true! I know because my dad is a descendant of the hero."

The young Goron began tearing up again so Shinichi quickly asked about the Gorons. The Goron answered, "Everyone was forced to go to the Fire Temple. When my dad left to confront Volvagia, Gin's minions came and forced the rest of the Gorons to go to the Fire Temple. I fear all of them will be eaten. Hattori, my dad, told me that Gin revived Volvagia, and is using the Gorons as a warning to all others that try to oppose him. So my dad went by himself to the dragon's lair."

Shinichi gave the young Goron a comforting smile, "Don't worry. I will go confront this dragon. I won't let anything happen to your dad, or the rest of the Gorons."

The Goron smiled and hiccupped a little, "Thank you Shinichi, you really are a hero. Let me give you this, it's a tunic, but this one is special. It is heat-resistant. The Fire Temple reaches temperatures to high for anyone but a Goron to survive in, but if you wear this, you will be fine. If you want to get inside the Fire Temple, try moving the statue that is placed in the throne room."

xXx

The Fire Temple was very hot, just like Shinichi the Goron warned him. But he had the special tunic, and was putting it to good use. He could still feel the heat, but it was more like the heat on a particularly hot summer day rather than the scolding heat from lots of lava and fire. He had wondered at first about the rest of his body, the tunic was just a shirt after all, but somehow the magic in the tunic spread and protected his entire body.

He had entered the temple through the secret passage behind Hattori's statue and was making his way across a wooden bridge to a door that could only be the official entrance. He stopped when he saw a familiar face.

"KID," he whispered the name to himself.

The Sheikah met him halfway across the bridge, "It is something that grows over time…a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes stronger over time. The passion of friendship will soon blossom into something more…a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go. The song I am about to teach you is dedicated to the power of the heart."

Shinichi smiled, "'Power of the heart?' That's a bit cheesy even for you, KID."

KID's visible eye crinkled in a smile, "You can joke, but I'm willing to bet you have a soft spot for poetry."

Shinichi snorted, "Not really, I do enjoy great literature, but poetry was something I was never able to understand, especially poetry that doesn't rhyme."

KID's eye danced with joy and amusement, "Well I'm touched, Shinichi. So it isn't poetry you like, just _my_ poetry, is it? I suppose next time we meet, instead of talking of friendship, I should be talking about the seeds of love being planted."

Shinichi chocked on air after that statement, "I never said…what the hell are you….I mean I….what?"

KID sighed, "Oh dear, it would seem that I broke him. How will I break this to the rest of Hyrule?"

Shinichi finally found his voice, "I'm not broken! Shouldn't you teach me that song so you can get out of here? I mean, _you_ aren't wearing a special tunic that can protect you from the dangerous temperatures inside the volcano."

KID closed his eyes and nodded, "Hm, yes quite true. I would estimate that at this moment, I have roughly two minutes before the heat will cause me to lose consciousness." Shinichi gave a squawk of surprise and fear for the Sheikah. KID waved his hand dismissing the hero's fears, "Not to worry, not to worry. I will teach you the song now and then take my leave. Listen…to the Bolero of Fire." KID pulled out his lyre and began to play.

Shinichi pulled out his Ocarina and mimicked KID, but he kept his eyes open this time willing himself not to get swept away by the magic the two seemed to be creating. He didn't want KID to pass out without him noticing.

When he finished the song, Shinichi took a step closer to KID, but was forced to jump back as a jet of fire chose that moment to shoot from the lava below up through the bridge. Shinichi on the opposite side of the fire as KID watched as the Sheikah looked at him and backed away, "I will see you again, hero." He threw a smoke capsule to the ground and disappeared.

xXx

Shinichi wondered in the direction that he assumed was the chambers of the dragon. It looked like the temple itself had been carved from the inside of the volcano itself. In some rooms, lava pooled onto the floor forced Shinichi to jump around on platforms to get across the room. Keese were another problem. The annoying bats were immune to the dangers of the lava and would fly right into the fire. Rather than dying, they would fly right back out, there tiny bodies engulfed by flames, and chase the hero. As long as he didn't let them catch him by surprise, they weren't much of a problem.

He knew he had found the door that would lead to Volvagia when he found King Hattori. The Goron King stood at on one side of the room, in front of the boss door, while Shinichi stood on the other side, in front of the door he just came through. The King turned to Shinichi when he noticed him.

"Shinichi? Is tha you? I hardly recognized ya, now that you aren't a pipsqueak anymore," Hattori greeted. They had to shout to each other because the gap between them was too far. If Shinichi tried to cross it, he would fall into the lava pit below. The tunic might be able to withstand high temperatures, but he doubted it would protect him if he was fully submerged in lava.

"Good to see you, King Hattori. Are you alright?" Shinichi asked.

Hattori nodded, "I am, but I can't say da same about my Gorons. They are imprisoned throughout this temple. Once I defeat the dragon, I will release them, or at least dat was the plan. I'm a bit concerned because I couldn't find the hammer the last hero used to defeat Volvagia. I will have to face Volvagia without it. Say, brother, will you release the other Gorons while I face down the dragon? Ya know, just in case something happens and I don't make it back…"

All Shinichi could do was nod, "You're a great king, Hattori. I will release the other Gorons for you, but I will do more than that. I will find the hammer the last hero used and come back to help you finish off that dragon."

Hattori smirked and gave Shinichi a nod. He then turned back to the locked door, the door Volvagia was behind, "Alright I'm here, you great over grown lizard! Come and get me!" A thunderous roar was heard from behind the door, than it opened and a taloned hand reached out and grabbed the king around the waist. Rather than looking afraid, the Goron King laughed, "That's right ya stupid fire worm, take me inside your chambers so I can kick your ass!" The clawed hand pulled the king through the door, the door slammed shut behind him.

xXx

After King Hattori disappeared, Shinichi wasted no time searching for the imprisoned Gorons and the missing hammer.

They found a caged Goron immediately;his cell was hidden from view in the same room that he found King Hattori. Releasing him was easy, the hero simply had to step on a nearby switch that was outside the cell. After the cell door opened, Shinichi moved to speak with the Goron inside, "I'm Shinichi. I agreed to help King Hattori by finding and releasing the Gorons. Are you ok?"

The Goron nodded, "Thanks for releasing me. Maybe I can help you. When I was captured, I overheard Gin's minions talking. They said in order to reach the door of the dragon's room, you have to….to do something to the pillar hanging from the ceiling of this room. I think you have to find a path that leads to a room above the ceiling of this one. I'm sorry, I didn't hear more."

The hero shook his head, "Don't worry about it, I'll be sure to keep my eye out of a path that leads to a room above this one. Leave the rest to me."

The Goron grinned at him, "One last thing, hero. I may not have been able to find a way out of my cell, but I did manage to snag this key and hide it from my captures. I'm sure it will help you, here." The Goron gave Shinichi the key and left to go back to Goron City.

The key opened a locked door that led to a room in the opposite direction of the dragon's room. Soon after going through the previously locked door, Shinichi found another Goron. This one recognized him, "I remember you! You are Shinichi, you saved us from starvation seven years ago. I see you are all grown up now. Saving our asses again, are you?"

Shinichi gave him a friendly grin, "Oh I'm sure King Hattori has the situation all under control. I'm only here to help."

The Goron gave a mighty laugh, "I can see why King Hattori made you his Sworn Brother. Maybe I can give you some advice. Some of the walls in the temple have become weak with age. I'm sure if you used bombs, you could break down the weak walls and gain access to rooms faster. You can tell which walls are weak because if you smack them with your sword, they sound hollow."

"That knowledge will defiantly come in handy, thank you."

"One more thing, I snagged a key from my captures," the Goron began.

"You too?" Shinichi asked in shock, "I never knew Gorons were kleptomaniacs."

Shinichi paid for this comment when the Goron laughed and gave him a friendly pat on the back that sent him face first into the ground. The Goron left and Shinichi dusted himself off before moving on. In the next room, he met a strange new enemy. "It's called a like-like, and don't get to close," the fairy warned.

Shinichi studied the strange enemy, "It doesn't look like much to me, it kinda looks like a tube of spam that came to life." He grimaced in disgust as the tube of puke colored gelatin oozed toward him. The "mouth" of the like-like was at the top facing the ceiling, but as it got closer, it leaned its body so that its mouth was facing Shinichi. To the hero's horror, the creature started making a sucking sound and Shinichi felt himself being drawn toward the creature like a vacuum.

Before he could stop it, he was sucked into the creature's mouth. "Ai, help!" he called from inside the like-like.

"You dummy, you have a sword and you are inside the creature, where it is sure to be vulnerable," she yelled back.

"Well excuse me, princess! I guess I might have panicked a little when I felt myself being digested!" He yelled at Ai. He must have used his sword and pocked a couple vital organs because next moment the creature quickly spit him back out. "Hey, what happened to my shirt? And my shield?" the hero looked down at himself. His tunic was gown leaving just a thin undershirt, and his fire proof shield was also gone.

"I told you to stay away from the like-like. If you hurry up and defeat it, you can get your shirt and shield back before he digests it. And before you turn it down, keep in mind you can't survive for long in the temple without that tunic," the fairy lectured.

Shinichi grumbled but quickly defeated the like-like with the master sword. He wrapped the tunic around his sword and gave the shirt a quick dip in a pool of lava in an attempt to rid it of any germs. Once he put his fire proof tunic back on, he continued through the Fire Temple.

xXx

Shinichi made his way deeper through the temple. He rescued another three Gorons, road across a lake of lava on a block made of rock, and went through a maze where giant boulders chased him Indiana Jones style. After he went through all of that, a Goron gave him a dungeon map that he stole from his captures.

"Not that I'm not grateful, but hasn't this come a little late? After all the rooms I have been in, I must have gone through half the temple already," Shinichi told Ai.

"I wouldn't be so sure. We haven't even seen any particularly strong enemies yet. I doubt Gin left just a couple flaming Keese and a like-like or two to guard this place," she answered.

"Don't forget Volvagia," he reminded her. Ai rolled her eyes.

Shinichi found and released another Goron. The grateful Goron of course had to share some knowledge with the hero, "Somewhere in this temple, Gin released a monster that dances as he attacks. Your sword and arrows will not hurt him while he dances, you must find a way to stop his movement. I heard talk that only the Goron's crop could stop the dancing beast."

"The Goron's crop? They must mean the bomb flowers, and I bet my bombs would work. Thank you," Shinichi told the Goron. The Goron nodded and began walking to the temple's exit.

The hero did find the map useful eventually. After studying the map and then the room he was currently in, he noticed there were extra doors in the room that were not marked on the map. He gestured to one of the door that wasn't on the map, "Ai, can you see anything suspicious about that door?"

The fairy examined the door he was pointing to. After a moment, she answered, "That's not a door at all, it's a Door Mimic."

"You mean that's an enemy that disguises itself as a door?" he asked her, clearly confused.

"I didn't notice it until you pointed it out, but I'm sure of it now. If you tried to open it, the Door Mimic would fall on you and crush you," she told him.

Shinichi paid much more attention to the map after that.

A couple more rooms, a couple more freed Gorons, and Shinichi eventually found the dancing enemy that one of the Gorons was referring to.

"That's a Flare Dancer! I should have known that's what that Goron was referring to," Ai told her partner.

The room was circular and had a pedestal in the center, the top of which was on fire. When the Flare Dancer saw Shinichi come in, he rose from a crouched position to his full height, his body moving with grace like his limbs were simply floating through the air. The Flare Dancer was humanoid in appearance, its body a bit thin and limbs a bit long, but that's not what drew Shinichi's attention. The first thing Shinichi noticed was that the dancer's body was completely covered in flames. The flames didn't seem to burn or consume its body, but rather hung from the dancer's body like a long coat and a pair of trousers. It didn't have hands or feet, but instead long sharp stakes. The only part of the creature that was visible was its black face and the features that looked carved into it, like a jack-o-lantern.

The enemy lifted a leg and extended its arm, than began twirling in circles. As it twirled, it flew from the flaming pedestal onto the ground with Shinichi. It began to skate around the room on its stake feet, throwing the occasional fire ball at the hero. Shinichi dodged that fire and threw a bomb at the Flare Dancer. The Flare Dancer easily ducked, but Shinichi anticipated this and shot an arrow at the bomb causing it to explode when it was still within range of the enemy.

The bomb caused the Flare Dancer to lose control of its flame, and the fire on its body went out. What was left behind was not so beautiful. It looked a bit like a big ball of coal and was roughly the size of a human head. It had a tiny head and tiny legs that were disproportionate with its body. It was probably no more than a half a meter (19-20 inches) in height.

The tiny creature gave a tiny shriek of terror and began to run. Shinichi gave chase and was able to hit it with his sword a couple of times, but he didn't do much damage. The flameless dancer jumped back into the flaming pedestal and restored his fire as well as the body Shinichi originally saw it with. There was one small change, instead of its flaming body being the traditional color of fire, it was blue.

"I think the blue flames means you weakened it. Use a bomb again," Ai suggested.

Shinichi did as she instructed and the miniature coal monster was back. He was able to get a few more swings in this time before it jumped into the fire on the pedestal and restored its flaming body. This time, the flames were a sickly green, and Shinichi noticed that its movement was less graceful.

One bomb later and the Flame Dancer was done. Once the enemy was gone, the fire on the pedestal went out and Shinichi was able to climb atop it and ride it like an elevator. The elevator platform took him to a new room that held a treasure chest.

Shinichi opened the chest and found a large hammer inside, "This must be the legendary weapon that was used to defeat Volvagia." He gave it a practice swing and nearly dislocated his shoulder, "It weighs a ton!"

Ai spoke up, "Do you think that's why they call it the Megaton Hammer?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes, "The Gorons would name it something like that, wouldn't they? Either way, with this we can face the dragon. We just need to find a way to cross that pool of lava."

"Yeah, about that…take out your map, Shinichi," Ai commanded. Shinichi did so and the fairy looked it over. "It's just as I suspected, we are directly above the room that you talked to the Goron King in. There should be a pillar around here somewhere."

"I see it," Shinichi pointed. He climbed atop the pillar and pulled out his new hammer from God knows where. "I sure hope this works," he prayed. He raised the hammer high above his head than struck the pillar he was standing on. The pillar shook than came loose of the ground holding it and began to fall. Down, down, down the pillar fell with Shinichi atop it. With a splash it landed on the floor below into the pool of lava, Shinichi barely holding on.

"That was the scariest thing I have ever had to do in my life. Hyrule had better be grateful for this! After I defeat Gin, I want a holiday! With a parade held in my honor every year, and a feast! A huge feast!" Shinichi ranted as he tried to slow his racing heart.

"You're fine, you big baby," Ai interrupted, "Look, your plan worked, we are now in the room that leads to the dragon's chamber door, and the pillar is acting as a bridge that we can use to get across."

Shinichi nodded, "I guess it's time to face down the dragon, Volvagia." He hoped from the pillar to the platform he last saw King Hattori on and opened the door.

xXx

Shinichi entered but unfortunately saw no sign of King Hattori. He was standing on a platform with a huge mass of land a short hop away. The huge mass was octagonal in shape and of course surrounded by lava. (Because what kind of boss fight in a Fire Temple would it be if there wasn't plenty of lava?) Shinichi hopped to the octagon and saw that it had a couple small pools of lava here and there on the land.

The island Shinichi was standing on began to shake, and as Shinichi watched, the pool of lava directly in the middle of the rock he was standing on began to bubble. Out of it came Volvagia. The dragon had a serpent like body, to two clawed forearms. It had a fiery mane going down its back and it wore an armored helmet over its muzzle. Despite the fact that it was wingless, the dragon took to the sky and flew around the arena before diving back into the pool of lava it came from.

Shinichi noticed another pool a short distance away began to bubble. He cautiously began to make his way closer, and just as he suspected, Volvagia popped his head out. The dragon kept most of its body concealed in the lava pool and took a couple of swipes at the hero with his talons. Shinichi got an idea and pulled out the Megaton Hammer and hit the dragon right on its armored head. (A/N: Anybody else picturing whack-a-mole right now?) The dragon shrieked in pain and dived back beneath the lava's surface.

The worm-like dragon popped out of another pool and flew to the ceiling. He nudged his head on the rocks at the top and shook a couple loose. The rocks fell toward Shinichi, but some quick movement kept the hero safe.

The dragon roared in rage and tried to blow some fire balls at Shinichi, but the hero easily dodged. Eventually the dragon dived back into the lava and pocked his head back out, which of course gave Shinichi the perfect opportunity to hit him with the hammer.

Shinichi did this a couple of times and eventually the dragon roared in defeat. It took flight and its body withered as if in pain. The body burst into flames and burnt till nothing was left but its skeleton, which fell lifeless at Shinichi's feet.

xXx

Outside the temple, the people of Kakariko village were watching Death Mountain with curiosity and amazement. The dark clouds were disappearing at an unnatural speed. The volcano gave a small burst that knocked a couple of the people in the village down below off their feet, and then remained quiet.

It would seem that the mountain had been purified of evil.

xXx

Shinichi closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again, he was in the Temple of Sages. Across from him was Goron King Hattori.

The king was smiling at him and looked very proud, "Thank you, my brother. I really appreciate what you did, I think you on behalf of the entire Goron Race. Ya turned out to be a real man, just as I thought ya would be. And after you defeated the dragon, I discovered that I am actually the Sage of Fire. Can ya believe it? Well this must be what they call destiny."

Shinichi smiled, "It's really not so surprising, I should have guessed it before. I don't know who would make a better Sage of Fire."

Hattori chuckled, "Yeah, I'm going to be the best damn Sage of Fire Hyrule has ever seen. I want you to have this, Shinichi. This is the Medallion that contains the power of the fire spirits, as well as my friendship."

King Hattori raised his arms and summoned the Fire Medallion for Shinichi. The medallion was crimson red and of course had the Triforce on one side. On the other side was a trident-shaped flame.

Shinichi felt his body being transported back, the last thing he heard before he left the Temple of Sages was Hattori, "Don't forget…now you and I are true brothers."

xXx

Alright guys, the Temple of Fire is done. Any thoughts on this chapter? I'm particularly interested to know what you have to say about "King" Hattori. I did include an inside Zelda joke in this chapter, but I wouldn't expect anyone that is unfamiliar with Zelda to understand it. If you did catch it, let me know because I am a nerd and it will probably make my day.

See you guys soon.


	7. The Water Sage

Just remember I don't have any rights to any Detective Conan, Magic Kaito, or Zelda characters.

I have been waiting to write this chapter since I first started writing this story. I can't wait to hear what you think.

xXx

Shinichi sat resting on a rock somewhere in Hyrule Field. He took a sip of Lon Lon milk before turning his attention to Ai, his fairy, "We are half way there, just three more medallions to go. KID told us vague locations of all the medallions, and we already got the one in the deep forest and the one on a high mountain. The only clues left are one under a vast lake, one within the house of the dead, and one within a goddess of sand. Where should we go next?"

"I have been thinking about that myself. I think the easiest medallion to go after next would be the one under a vast lake. KID must have been talking about Lake Hylia," Ai mused.

"So our next destination is the lake….or it would be if I had gills. KID's directions were '_under_ a vast lake.' This medallion might be a bit harder to achieve than the first two," Shinichi groaned.

Silence drew between them as they both thought of how to get under the lake. After a moment, Ai finally spoke, "The Zoras, they may have a way. They gave you that silver scale that allowed you to dive deeper, maybe they have something else that would be of use to 'land walkers'."

Shinichi winced, "I thought of that myself, but I was hoping one of us might come up with something better. I don't want to run into Princess Sonoko."

Ai gave her companion a cheeky grin, "What's this? You don't want to see your fiancée? I guess you would have a hard time telling her about your relationship with KID, and does she know about your secret crush on Prince Kaito?"

Shinichi choked on his milk, "W-What? Sonoko wasn't serious about that engagement thing! And no, I won't have a hard time telling her about my _friendship_ with KID! Also, I do not have a secret crush on the Prince of Hyrule. I only met him once, for goddesses sake! When we were both children! You are being completely illogical."

Ai sighed dramatically, "Love is illogical Shinichi. But this argument has gone on long enough, let's go to the Zora river." Shinichi began grumbling under his breath as he stomped in the direction of the river.

xXx

Shinichi paled, "What happened here?"

They had arrived at the Zora Domain only to find the place to be completely frozen. The waterfall that Shinichi had once dived from as a child looked like a huge icicle, and the water that normally pulled around the walkways looked like crystal glass. There wasn't a sign of the Zoras anywhere.

Ai's fairy glow was a bit dim, "It's obvious, isn't it? Gin's evil must have spread here as well. We shouldn't be surprised, remember the state of the forest before we awakened Ran? Or the dark clouds around Death Mountain? It makes sense that it would reach here as well."

"Let's have a look around. Maybe we will find someone or something that could help us," the hero suggested. He made his way to the Zora throne room. Sitting on his throne was the King, who was completely encased in what looked like red glass. On closer examination, Shinichi found out that it wasn't glass, but was actually ice.

"This red ice is enchanted. It won't be easy to melt it. The best way to combat magic is with magic," Ai told him.

The hero nodded, "Well I can't do anything for him at the moment, let's continue searching. Something tells me that if the Zoras are doing this bad, Jabu-Jabu must be worse."

Shinichi walked outside and found the small lake that the giant fish normally swam in to be empty. It was very cold and the lake had small patches of ice floating here and there. Shinichi squinted his eyes looking into the distance, "I think I see a cave across the lake. If I hop across the ice, I think I can get to it."

"Fine, but if you fall in and freeze to death, it was your idea, not mine," Ai replied.

Shinichi rolled his eyes, "I'm not going to fall in." He easily jumped to the first iceberg and looked at his fairy with a satisfied smile. Ai sighed and gestured for him to continue. Shinichi jumped and sprang, and the shore was getting farther and farther away. At one point Shinichi slipped, but luckily he landed on the ice rather than in the freezing water. Eventually he made it across to the cave.

The inside of the cave looked like a winter wonderland from hell. Several inches of ice and snow covered the floor and several stalagmites made entirely from ice rose up from the floor looking like claws. Some sort of ice monster was slowly sliding toward Shinichi. It was about as tall as he was and looked like a horned creature carved from a block of ice.

"That is a freezard. It's very slow moving, but if one manages to sneak up on you, its breath will freeze you," Ai told the hero.

Shinichi nodded and decided to avoid the creature altogether. He ran past the slow moving enemy and made his way deeper through the cave. As he walked, he heard a strange cracking noise and a stalactite fell from the ceiling spearing the ground below, landing inches from Shinichi's right boot. Shinichi looked up and saw several of the large, icy daggers hanging on the ceiling.

As he made his way deeper inside the cave, Shinichi found a room of some sort with a giant spinning blade made completely of ice. "This proves that this cavern is guarding something. The freezards could just live here, but a giant spinning blade of death that is carved completely of ice? Somebody made that, and it wasn't just for fun," Shinichi reasoned.

The blade spun counter-clockwise and Shinichi stood just out of its reach. From where he stood, he could see five switches placed on the walls around the room. It looked like he would have to press all five to gain access to the next part of the cave. The blade wasn't much of a challenge because it was high enough that he could simply duck whenever it passed by.

As he made his way deeper, Shinichi found another room with switches placed around the walls. Unfortunately, the switches were placed much too high for him to reach. He was able to find a large block that he could climb up and use as a boost, and the floor was slick with ice, so he was able to slide it around quite easily.

The hero had just reached the last switch when he saw something strange across the room. It looked like fire, but the flame was a chilly blue color. He pushed the block to the ledge it was resting on so that he could get a closer look at it. Ai had been resting under his hat as a way of keeping warm, but she poked her tiny head out now, "That blue fire is enchanted. You can carry it in a bottle and it won't burn the glass or go out from lack of oxygen. Also, this blue fire can put out the red ice we saw around the Zora King."

"I guess I better grab some than," Shinichi scooped some of the fire into a bottle and stuffed it into one of his pockets.

Shinichi continued on and made it to the end of the cavern. He could see a chest against the back wall, but a White Wolfos stood guard in front of it. The giant wolf stood on two legs and tried to claw at Shinichi with his front two paws. It snared exposing its long fangs, its red eyes glared.

Shinichi slashed out with his sword, but the white wolf dodged away from it. The canine monster was very agile on its feet, despite the fact that it stood on only two unlike a regular wolf. A fierce battle ensued, but the green clad hero saw an opening and was able to hit the Wolfos's tail. The tail proved to be the creatures weak point and the wolf ran away after Shinichi's one and only successful hit.

Shinichi went to the chest and opened it. Inside was a pair of boots, much like his own, except the heel and toe of each boot was encased in iron, making the boots very heavy. "I wonder what I'm supposed to do with these," Shinichi thought out loud.

"You will find those boots to be very useful when you take on the water temple," a new voice spoke from behind him.

Shinichi turned around with an affectionate smile on his face, "Hello KID."

Judging from his visible eyes, KID most likely was giving the hero a smile of his own, "Time passes, people move…like a river's flow, and it never ends. A childish mind will turn to noble ambition…young love will become deep affection…the clear water's surface reflects growth."

Shinichi shook his head, "You and your poetry." His tone was playful.

KID smiled at Shinichi, than his expression turned somber, "If you are looking for the Zoras, you are too late. They are frozen underneath the ice. This ice was created by the curse of the monster in Water Temple. Unless the monster is defeated, the ice will never melt."

Shinichi frowned, "Than it is clear what I must do."

KID regarded him for a moment before speaking, "I did manage to save Princess Sonoko, but she has left for the Water Temple. I tried to stop her, but she is very stubborn."

Shinichi blinked, "Oh, well at least she is safe. That's good news."

KID's visible eye narrowed, "Yes, I suppose it is good news that your fiancée is safe."

Shinichi's jaw dropped. He tried to speak, but his brain and mouth didn't seem to want to work together at the moment. He finally yelled out, "There is nothing going on between me and that crazy girl!"

KID cocked his head to the side, "Really, because according to the Princess, you two are engaged to be married. She tells anyone who will listen, and many that don't want to."

Shinichi groaned, "Yes, really. There is _nothing_ going on between me and her. She is insane. Why would you believe something like that? I didn't know you could be so irrational."

KID smiled, "Forget it, hero. I was being silly. Let me teach you the melody that leads to the temple, the Serenade of Water."

Shinichi pulled out his ocarina and allowed KID to teach him the tranquil water song.

xXx

Shinichi was walking around the Zora domain. If he looked close enough at the ice, he could see the Zora frozen underneath. If he didn't succeed in the water temple, they would remain there forever. And it wouldn't end with Zoras, Gin wanted all of Hyrule. If someone didn't stop Gin, if _he_ didn't stop Gin, than Gin would take all of Hyrule….but how was he supposed to _get_ to the temple under the lake?

"Shinichi, you still have a jar of enchanted blue fire left over, you can use it to free the Zora King. The red ice around him is different from the cursed ice trapping the rest of the Zora," Ai spoke up while riding on his shoulder.

The hero nodded and made his way to the throne room. He dumped the blue fire from the jar onto the enchanted ice trapping the king. The ice melted at an unnaturally fast speed and left the Zora King untouched. As soon as he was free, the king took a great lung full of air, "I have been brought back to life!" The king blinked and noticed Shinichi, "You there, I know you….you were the one that saved my daughter seven years ago from Jabu-Jabu's belly! Are you also the one that freed me from my icy prison?"

Shinichi nodded, "Yes I did, your majesty. But I have some terrible news, Gin has cursed your kingdom. Your people are sleeping under ice that cannot be melted unless the beast in the Water Temple is defeated." He decided at the last minute to not tell him about his daughter. The king had enough problems and he didn't have enough information to tell him. All he knew was that the princess had left for the temple. Maybe she hadn't made it inside? "Your majesty, I intend to go to the temple myself and slay the beast that is inside."

The king squared his shoulders, "Is that so? Then it would be in my best interest to aid you as best as I can. You are a land creature, and therefore cannot breath underwater. To go to the temple as you are now would be foolish and suicidal as the temple is said to be at the bottom of Lake Hylia. But, I have a way for you to breath underwater. Take this tunic; it was made by a Hylian man a long time ago. Legend says that a land walker fell in love with a Zora woman. The Zora could not survive for long away from the water, so he made this tunic so that he could join her.* When you wear this tunic, you will be able to breathe underwater as if you were breathing your precious land oxygen."

Shinichi smiled and gave a small bow of thanks.

xXx

Shinichi stood in the cover of some bushes and began to remove his traditional green tunic. Ai was on the other side watching for enemies and peeping toms. She began to speak, "It's a good thing you got that new tunic that allows you to breathe underwater. Without it, I think this temple would be impossible."

Shinichi forgot Ai wasn't looking at him and nodded, "Yeah about that, what are you going to do? I mean, if you need it, I might be able to make a fairy size tunic out of a piece I tear off or something….not that I'm any good at sewing."

Ai chuckled, "Good goddesses, no thanks. We fairies have our own way of breathing underwater. We form a sort of bubble around our body."

"Oh, handy," he commented as he pulled the new tunic over his head. The tunic was exactly like his green one except it was blue. The material felt a little different too, like it was lighter and wouldn't weigh him down while swimming.

"So about your last meeting with KID…" Ai paused and Shinichi tensed, "he seemed to get a little jealous when Princess Sonoko was brought into the conversation."

Shinichi blushed and mumbled, "…..I don't know what you are talking about….."

Ai continued, "I also noticed you were quick to set him straight on the truth."

Shinichi scrambled out of the bushes fully dressed in his new tunic and ran as fast as he could in the direction of Lake Hylia, "Ai, hurry up! We have a temple to conquer!"

xXx

The first thing Shinichi noticed at the lake was that the water level had dropped a lot. That probably wasn't a good sign, but there wasn't much he could do about it. "I guess it's time to put on the iron boots and test out this tunic," Shinichi spoke a little nervously.

He pulled on the boots and dragged his feet to the water. The boots were so heavy! He walked until the water was put to his neck and paused. He took a couple calming breaths and continued out farther till he was completely submerged underwater. At first he held his breath, he couldn't help it, the idea of just breathing normally underwater was a little frightening. Now that he thought about it, did anyone even really know if the tunic worked?

Well there was no going back now. Shinichi drew in a breath…and found he could breath just fine. He smiled in relief and continued walking. Deeper and deeper he went till he was in the center of the lake. He could see the temple now, it was getting more clear with each step he took, slowly materializing out of the gloom.

He entered and made his way through the front entrance hall in the direction of the main room. The hall sloped upward and Shinichi was forced to remove the heavy boots so that he could swim up the sharp incline. He was surprised when his head broke the water's surface. It would seem that part of the temple wasn't flooded. He walked forward and let out a gasp, the main room was three levels deep. It would seem the temple sank deep into the earth below even the lake itself. What was more, two of the levels were flooded, the third one (the one he was standing in) was not.

It was like the entire temple was shaped like a tree. The main room was actually three levels and would be thought of as the 'trunk' of the tree. Other rooms and hallways 'branched' off of the 'trunk' on all three levels. (A/N Don't laugh at my analogy, I was actually quite proud of it.)

Shinichi groaned when he saw the size of the temple, this would take awhile. Where to even start? As if she could read his mind, Ai spoke up, "I can sense something….I think we need to start at the bottom level. Put your iron boots back on, we need to dive."

He pulled his boots back on, something told him he was going to be doing this a lot. He dove into the water and allowed himself to sink to the bottom. As soon as his feet touched bottom, Ai flew to a doorway. It had two torches on either side of it, both unlit of course. He followed her as fast as he could and found himself in a small room. Standing in the center of the room was a ten year older Princess Sonoko.

The princess saw him and her eyes widened, "Are you…Shinichi? Is that you? The years have been very kind to you~" She winked at him. "You recognize me, don't you? It's me, your fiancée, Princess Sonoko."

Shinichi made a small gargling noise. He opened his mouth to speak, but only bubbles came out. It would seem that even though he could breath underwater, he couldn't _speak_ underwater.

The princess giggled, "I haven't forgotten those vows we made to each other seven years ago. The way you looked me in the eyes, held my hand, and asked me to marry you. Sigh, I think time has only made my love for you grow stronger."

Shinichi slapped his palms to his face. The bubbles were coming out faster now.

Princess Sonoko gave her head a shake, "But now is not the time to talk about love. I'm sure you have seen it by now, the Zora Domain...it's completely frozen. A young man named KID managed to save me but the others…my father….I want to save them all! I want to save the Zora Domain! You have to help me. As your future wife, I demand that you help me save them. Inside this temple, there are three places where the water level can be raised and lowered. This will be great help to you to navigate through the temple. I will lead the way, you follow as best as you can." When she finished speaking, the Zora princess began swimming up toward the ceiling. It would seem this room had more than one level to it as well. Shinichi tried to follow her with his eyes, but the room was to dark and he eventually lost her in the gloom.

He turned his attention to his fairy, but she simply shrugged her tiny shoulders. Her expression said it all, might as well follow her. He removed his iron boots again and without the heavy weights, he began to float to the top. He passed from the third level to the second, but all he saw there was a crack in the wall that would be the perfect for a bomb if it wasn't for all the water. He allowed himself to float higher and made it to the first level, the top most level. Once again, this level wasn't submerged in water.

There was no sign of the princess but there was a single door so it wasn't hard to figure out where she must have went. He went through the door, which slammed and locked behind him. He rolled his eyes and prepared himself for the fight that was sure to come.

He was a little disappointed when all that appeared was four Spike monsters. The small silver spike balls circled around him, but he was able to use his Hookshot to fight them from a distance. Defeating them was laughably easy. It wasn't until the last one was gone that he noticed Princess Sonoko was nowhere to be seen. "That's odd, there is only one door going in and out, but she isn't here. She just…vanished" Shinichi commented.

"Shinichi look, it's the symbol of the Royal Family. And there is an inscription underneath. It says, 'Those who wish to open the path sleeping at the bottom of the lake must play the song of the Royal Family.' This must be what Sonoko was talking about earlier," Ai said as she examined the carving.

Shinichi pulled out his ocarina and began playing Kaito's lullaby. At the song's finish, he heard a sucking noise and looked down to see that the water level was quickly draining. The water continued draining until even the bottom level was dry. He used his Hookshot to lower himself to the third level.

xXx

What felt like hours later, Shinichi was cursing the designers of the temple for how complicated they had built the thing. The place was huge, and not only that, but he frequently had to raise and lower the damn water levels, which meant repeatedly changing his boots. For some reason that was beyond him, the boots were only heavy when he wore them, but that didn't mean he didn't get tired of having to stop and change them over and over again.

"You know Ai, after we conquer this temple, I'm not sure I will ever be able to enjoy swimming again," he complained. He looked at his fairy when she didn't reply, "Ai? What is it?"

It was hard to tell, what with how small she was, but he thought she looked tense. She turned to him and answered with a frown, "That room up ahead, I can sense something….strange in there. It seems almost familiar, and yet totally alien at the same time. Whatever it is, it's dangerous. I don't like it."

Shinichi frowned at her words. The fairy had rarely been wrong during their journey, so he took what she said seriously.

He entered the next room and stopped walking immediately. Was he still in the Water Temple? Was he dreaming? The room in front of him looked…well it didn't look like a room at all! It looked like he might be outside. The floor was covered in a couple inches of water which reflected the rest of his surroundings like a perfect mirror no matter what angle he looked at it. The sky was a sickly, light green color and the horizon seemed to stretch on forever. The only thing he could see was a dead tree about 20 paces in front of him, some ruins in the distance, and a door some 30 paces from him. He turned around to look at the door he had come through, it looked identical to the door across from him. Overall, the entire "room" looked like a Salvador Dali painting.

He slowly made his way to the door, he stayed on guard but he couldn't see any enemies. It looked like he was alone. Once he was even with the tree, he turned and looked at it sideways. For some reason, the tree filled him with dread and he fought to keep his normal walking pace. He would love to run like hell from the creepy tree, but heroes didn't run from trees, no matter how uncanny they looked.

He reached the door but it was locked. This could only mean one of two things, he either had to solve a puzzle to unlock it, or defeat some enemy. His eyes scanned in every direction and didn't see any creatures, so it was probably the second option. And the only thing around to inspect was the dead tree. Well shit….

He turned around and began walking back to the tree, but as he got closer, he could see something strange on the trunk. He narrowed his eyes and curiosity drove him to quicken his pace. He was now close enough now that he could see it wasn't the trunk itself, but was something standing in front of the tree. It was semitransparent, but was becoming more opaque as he watched. He stilled when he realized what the shape was.

Standing in front of him was an exact copy of himself. Every detail was correct except for one detail, the copy Shinichi was completely black. Its hair, its skin, its close, even the master sword and shield were all black as if the copy was stuck in shadow. The shadow opened its eyes, glowing red eyes, and gave Shinichi an evil smirk.

Ai spoke from his side, "Shadow Shinichi….he both is and is not you. You must conquer yourself."

Shinichi readied his sword and charged. The shadow copied and they met in a furious clash, both equal in strength. Shinichi sprang away and readjusted his grip before springing forward for another attack. The shadow copied. Shinichi swung and ducked, but his shadow was an equal match. He tried stabbing his sword straight at him, but was surprised when the shadow actually jumped and stood on the tip of his blade. Shinichi's eyes widened and the shadow grinned. The shadow was toying with him!

Shinichi threw himself into the fight, putting everything he had into it. Finally he saw an opening and took it. He stabbed the shadow in the side and then grunted in pain himself. He had stabbed the shadow but in doing so, he left himself completely open. Blood dripped down his new shoulder wound, but at least he had finally gotten a hit on the shadow, a hit that was much worse than his own he might add. The shadow surprised him again when he dipped a finger into his wound. The shadow gave the hero a sick smile as he licked the blood from his finger.

The fight raged on, and Shinichi noticed that slowly the shadow was growing more solid looking. The more opaque he became, the more aggressive his attacks became. After awhile, the shadow was no longer copying Shinichi but was instead using his own moves. Shinichi took a couple more hits, but also got in a few of his own. He knew he had to end the battle soon; his strength wasn't endless after all.

The shadow was growing more confidant and aggressive, but in the end that was his downfall. Again Shinichi saw an opening and stabbed the shadow, but this time it was a killing blow. A look of surprise crossed the shadow's face, than he crumbled. Before he could fully fall to the ground, his body melted and was put back in its rightful place, as Shinichi's shadow.

xXx

Shinichi was breathing heavily and attempting to walk to the door. As soon as his shadow had been defeated, the tree, the water, and the never ending horizon had all faded. In its place was an ordinary stone room exactly like what he would find in the Water Temple. It had been an illusion, but his wounds were very real.

One hand clutched his shoulder, but he bled from numerous places. His vision was blurring and Ai was frantic. "You have to keep going! I think I saw some clay pots somewhere in the dungeon, maybe one of them has a healing potion. You just have to keep walking," she was practically in tears.

Shinichi nodded at her, but he couldn't stop himself when his strength gave out and he fell to his knees. "I'm sorry Ai, just let me sleep for a while," he lowered himself to the ground, "Just a moment, that's all I need."

Ai grabbed his sleeve and gave it a tug, as if she was trying to lift the hero back to his feet. Her attempts were useless of course. She banged her tiny fists on his arm, but Shinichi wasn't responding. "Somebody help! Please! Help!"

xXx

He was floating in a dark void. He tried to move, but his limbs refused to obey, so he allowed himself to float. He had no idea how long he floated, it could have been seconds or it could have been years. Then something happened, he heard a voice.

"Come back to me Shinichi, come back."

He tried to look for the source of the voice, but failed. It was a nice voice, and somehow familiar. He wanted to please the voice, for it sounded so sad. Something inside him ached.

"I'm trying, but I don't know how," he told the voice.

The voice answered, "Just open your eyes, Shinichi."

xXx

Shinichi slowly opened his eyes. His eye lids felt so heavy, but he forced them open anyways. He could tell something wasn't right. For one thing, he was very comfortable and warm, and he also felt safe. These were all wonderful feelings of course, but the question was _why_ he felt that way. Last he checked, he was floating in some dark void trying to follow some voice, and before that he was fighting his shadow. Nope, neither of those last memories explained the warm, safe feeling.

So he pried his eyes opened and blinked until his vision focused. Than his eyes widened at who it was he saw, "KID? What….how?" His upper body was being held in the Sheikah's arms, his lower body lying as gently as possible on the stone ground.

KID's expression softened and he answered, "You gave me and Ai quite a scare, hero. I wasn't sure I would be able to cure your wounds. Lucky for us, I had a blue potion made by one of the best healers in Hyrule."

"You had a blue potion? As in the Medicine of Life and Magic potion? I didn't know there was anyone left in Hyrule that _could_ brew the medicine. I guess I was lucky," he gave the Sheikah a sideways grin. "I guess I owe you."

KID looked at him for a moment without saying anything. Shinichi felt KID's grip on him tighten a little before he spoke, "Just promise me you won't scare me like that again."

Shinichi suddenly felt how intimate the situation felt. His cheeks colored a little but he ignored it as he looked KID full in the face and answered, "I promise." KID beamed at him. "What was that thing, KID? It looked like me, but different somehow."

"It was your dark side," KID answered, "Or…at least it was. Everyone has both goodness and darkness inside of them, the illusion in that room allowed you to literally face yourself, or that was the idea anyways. But this temple is completely saturated by the curse Gin put here. The evil mixed with your dark side and changed it into something much more frightening. It is very impressive that you were able to vanquish it."

"I see, and then after I defeated the shadow, I fell unconscious, and you saved me, right?" he asked.

KID nodded, "I came as soon as I sensed something wrong. It took me a while to find you, but lucky that fairy of yours has some powerful lungs. It was thanks to her yelling that I found you as fast as I did." He answered before Shinichi could even ask, "Your fairy is sleeping at the moment, I wrapped her in your hat. She tired herself out from worrying so much."

Shinichi noticed his hat wasn't on his head but was instead lying close to his side. He could see a faint glow coming from inside. A fond smile adorned his face.

The sound of KID clearing his throat made him turn his attention back to the Sheikah. He was suddenly aware that he was still being held in the ninja's arms. "I'm afraid that you have not yet defeated the Water Temple. There is still the beast within to deal with, or you will never awaken the sage," he grinned at the hero, "But after seeing you face the shadow, I know you will be alright. Before you went back to quest, I just wanted to say something."

Shinichi waited, but KID didn't continue, "Yes? What did you want to say?"

KID closed his eyes and took a couple breaths. He seemed to be centering himself or preparing for something. Then he opened his eyes again, letting Shinichi see how determined he was. He leaned forward and closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to Shinichi's in a soft, sweet kiss.

xXx

The rest of the dungeon after that was a blur. Shinichi's mind simply shut down. He vaguely recalled that KID had smiled at him after the kiss and promised him that they would see each other soon, then the ninja had left. Ai had woken up soon after that (her timing would have made him suspicious had he been thinking properly), and being the smart fairy that she was, she was able to guess what happened. She also knew that Shinichi would need time to process, so she took over control of his body for him. How did she do this? Simple, by telling him what to do.

After KID left, most of the dungeon went something like this, "Turn left…open the door….stab that enemy….open the chest and get the key…don't walk into the wall."

His prize for defeating the shadow was the Longshot, which was basically the Hookshot but with a much longer reach. It was a little hard for her to get him to aim it correctly when he was in his zombie state, but she managed.

He couldn't stay in his brain dead state forever though, he would be no match for the beast in the temple if he couldn't think for himself. So she had to him to return to reality. Calling his name didn't work, so she settled with grabbing his ear, and trying to fly away with it.

Needless to say, it worked quite well. "Ow ow ow, Ai stop!" he called at her.

"So you finally decided to wake up? Good, because we are outside the beast's chambers right now. It's time to kick that things ass so the Water Temple Sage will be able to hear the call," Ai told him a little crossly.

He flushed and gave her a tiny grin, "Thanks for the help, Ai. I can take it from here." He turned and made his way to the beast's door.

Ai mumbled just loud enough that he could hear, "Good, but if that's how you react after one kiss, I would hate to see you after a full make out session."

Shinichi nearly tripped while walking, but forced himself to not react otherwise.

The last room, the beast's room, had a pool of strange blue water with four platforms set up in a square in the pool. He jumped to the closest platform and looked around. Ai was studying the strange purple-blue water. She turned to Shinichi in realization, "That isn't normal water. It _is_ the beast. It is called Morpha, and it has complete control over water."

Shinichi scowled, "How do I defeat water?"

Ai pointed, "By attacking the nucleus."

Shinichi looked where she was pointing. Floating around inside the water was a spongy pink ball that was about as big as his head. He pulled out his newly acquired Longshot and aimed. The arrow at the end of the chain pierced the spongey blob on the first try. He began to retract the chain, but the water formed a fist and pulled the nucleus back to safety. "I didn't think it would be that easy, but I had to try," Shinichi grumbled.

Morpha seemed angry by his attempts to attack its nucleus. Shinichi watched as the water began to pull straight up into the air and formed a tentacle completely out of water. The tentacle struck out at him, but Shinichi evaded the attack by jumping to another platform. It was then that he noticed that the nucleus was floating inside the tentacle. He tried his Longshot again, and this time it was successful. He pulled the nucleus to him and when it was close enough, he slashed at it with his sword.

As soon as he hit the nucleus, the water that was pooled around him bubbled angrily. Another tentacle formed, but this time when Shinichi tried to jump out of the way, a tentacle grabbed him from behind. Even though the tentacle was made from water, it was somehow able to grab him like a solid. The water wrapped around his waist and threw him across the room.

Shinichi grunted in pain as his back collided with the wall. He somehow managed to keep a hold of the Master Sword. He jumped back into the fight, but was careful to watch his back this time. Morpha could form tentacles anywhere in the pool of water, and it could form as many as it wanted. Shinichi noticed however that the more tentacles it formed, the harder it seemed to control them. The most controlled water tentacle was the one with the nucleus floating in it.

Eventually, he hit the nucleus enough that Morpha was defeated. The nucleus popped like a bubble and the rest of the water floated to the ceiling and evaporated leaving only a couple drips left as proof that it even was there. KID had been right, after facing his shadow, the fight with Morpha seemed like child's play.

xXx

Shinichi once again found himself in the Chamber of Sages. Across from him stood Princess Sonoko, a fact that didn't really surprise him. The princess smiled at him, "Shinichi, you were able to defeat the Water Temple and awaken me as a Sage." Her smile turned to a smirk and she looked to the side, rather smug, "I would have expected no less from the man I chose to be my husband. The Zora Domain will return to its original state. As your reward, I offer my eternal love."

Shinichi had no idea what to say. He opened his mouth a couple times to respond, but what was he suppose to tell her?

Princess Sonoko frowned and her eyes narrowed, "Or at least that's what I would like to say. I guess a better reward would be to add my power to yours and wish you luck with your search for Prince Kaito. Not to mention congratulate you on your budding relationship with that Sheikah. What's that look of surprise for? You didn't think you could hide something like that from me, did you?"

Shinichi decided to simply stay quite. It wouldn't help him, but it wouldn't hurt him either. His silence didn't stop Sonoko from talking, "Prince Kaito is alive. As a newly awakened Sage, I can sense it. So don't be discouraged. Take this Water Medallion, its power will aid you on your quest.

She summoned the blue medallion for the hero. On the side opposite the Symbol of Hyrule was what looked like six water drops forming in a circle. It looked a bit like a flower with the water drops as the petals.

He felt himself returning and heard the princess call out to him one last time, "If you see KID, tell him thank you, for rescuing me. Also, tell him I called off the wedding, so we are even now!"

xXx

*= I made the Zora Tunic's origin story up.

So in the original game story, there was not part with the Sheikah and the hero after he defeats the shadow. I added that myself. I did tell you guys that as the story progresses, I would be making changes ;)

I would appreciate reviews! I worked hard on this chapter


	8. The Shadow Sage

So first things first, **KaT**, you need to get an account so that I can private message you! But since I can't, I will just have to reply to your review here. So the part when you called the giant spinning ice blade a prototype for Wipe Out made me laugh so hard. Yes, I suppose I did draw inspiration from the Little Mermaid. I have no shame in it :) And I don't think you are odd or sick for wanting Shadow Shinichi to molest real Shinichi. I considered adding that actually. Also, if you look up Zelda fanfics, there are quite a few Link/Dark Link stories. About Sonoko….no promises but I will try.

Ok so this fic is close to done! Just two more temples left, one more after this chapter, and then Shinichi will face Gin. I also plan on writing a special epilogue, so stick around for that. I think you will enjoy it ;)

xXx

Shinichi ran as fast as he could to Kakariko Village. The small village was getting closer, but he could see the cloud of smoke that was rising from it. With that much smoke, the entire village must be on fire. He pushed himself harder.

He finally entered the village and saw to his horror that numerous houses appeared to be on fire. The village was in chaos and everywhere he looked, he saw people running around. It looked like the men were trying to at least control the fire while the women and children were attempting to handle the livestock.

"Shinichi, I sense something in the center of the village," Ai told him.

He wasn't sure what else to do, so he ran for the center of the village. He rounded a corner and saw in the center was KID. The Sheikah wasn't looking in his direction, but was facing instead at a well that was in the center of the village.

Shinichi was now level with KID and also looked at the well. Something about the well was making his skin crawl. KID warned him, "Shinichi, get back."

As soon as the words left his mouth, something exploded out of the well. Shinichi used his arm to shield his eyes and waited for the debris to settle. When it finally did he lowered his arm and looked at what he was facing. He was confused to see nothing. "What? Where did it…" he trailed off. He turned his head looking for the enemy, but was unable to see anything.

From his side, he heard KID cry out. He turned and saw KID rising from the ground. Something large was lifting him, but he couldn't see it. KID was flung through the air, being shaken as if he was a rag doll. Shinichi pulled an arrow from his quiver, but wasn't sure were to aim. He gritted his teeth in anger, "Put him down, you bastard!"

KID stopped moving and Shinichi heard a roar of anger, than the invisible thing threw KID. Shinichi barely had time to react. He dived and was just in time to catch the Sheikah in his arms. The force of the momentum brought him to his knees, but he managed to keep a hold of KID. "Are you okay?" he asked the ninja in concern.

"No time for that, it's coming back for another attack. You have to get out of here," KID told him. Shinichi set the Sheikah down as gently as he could, than he drew his sword and readied himself for an attack he couldn't even see. KID called after him to run, but he ignored the Sheikah, "I'm not leaving you or the rest of the village, so shut up and let me concentrate."

Despite his efforts, he still couldn't stop it. The next thing Shinichi knew, he was looking up at the star filled sky, a worried KID sitting next to him. He sat up slowly with KID's help. "Looks like you are coming around," KID said in relief.

"What happened?" Shinichi asked in confusion. He looked around and was relieved to see that the village was no longer on fire. A slow, steady drizzle was falling which was probably how the villagers were able to put out the fire.

"The evil shadow spirit was released. That's what attacked us. Jii, the leader of Kakariko Village, had sealed the spirit at the bottom of the well many years ago, but Gin's activity caused the shadow spirit to become stronger and the seal broke," KID began. "I believe Jii has gone to the Shadow Temple to strengthen the seal and reseal the spirit, but without any help, he will be in danger. Shinichi, Jii is one of the six sages. You must go to the Shadow Temple and help Jii."

Shinichi nodded, "I understand. I will leave for the temple immediately. Where will I find the entrance to the temple?"

"There is an entrance hidden beneath the graveyard behind this village," KID told him. He looked rather grim. "The only thing I can do for you is teach you the melody that will lead you to the Shadow Temple. This is the melody that will draw you into the infinite darkness that absorbs even time….listen, to the Nocturne of Shadow."

Shinichi pulled out his ocarina and learned how to play the melody quickly. The song was dark and mysterious. It was beautiful in its own way, but it also gave him the creeps.

They finished the song and KID put his lyre away, "I will see to the village and make sure everyone is okay, you go to the temple and stop the shadow spirit within." KID began walking to Shinichi, closing the distance between them. "There is one last thing I must give you. Please accept this, for luck," KID cupped Shinichi's cheek and raised the hero's face to his own. KID closed the distance between them and gave Shinichi a soft kiss. Shinichi was a little more prepared this time. He raised his arms and wrapped them around KID's neck and pulled the Sheikah closer.

KID drew away and was smiling, "Good luck, Shinichi. I will see you when you return." KID threw a flash bomb on the ground and disappeared.

Shinichi's eyes were wide in shock, "Ai, did you see? He showed me his face. KID showed me his entire, uncovered face."

xXx

Shinichi stood at the bottom of the well and growled with impatience, "Ai, I don't see anything." After KID had left, Ai had insisted that they should check out the bottom of the well for clues. So far, they had yet to find anything.

Ai floated around and checked every corner, "Still, it wouldn't hurt to check." Her fairy light suddenly illuminated the skeleton of a long dead man. "Wait, I can hear the spirit of this man whispering something to me, he says…'find the Lens of Truth.' What do you suppose that means?"

Shinichi frowned, "I'm not sure." He began walking in Ai's direction when he suddenly tripped. He reached out his hand to catch himself on the wall, but was surprised when his hand and half of his body went through the wall. He fell to the floor with a crash, half his body visible on one side of the wall, and half on the other side. "Uh…Ai?" he called out.

Ai flew right through the wall, "It's a fake wall, it was hiding the rest of the well rooms."

Shinichi climbed to his feet, "Well let's investigate. Maybe we can find the 'Lens of Truth' or whatever that spirit was talking about."

Shinichi set out to explore the rest of the well and came to a problem almost immediately. The hallway he was following split into two identical routes. A couple inches of water flowed along the floor. He shrugged and took the hallway to the right and continued on. He had only walked for a couple minutes when he realized he was back where he had started. It would seem the two hallways were connected and made a big doughnut like shape.

"You must have missed something, let's examine the hallway again, but take it slower this time," his fairy suggested.

Shinichi followed her advice and about halfway through the long hallway, he found the Symbol of the Royal Family. He pulled out his Ocarina and played Kaito's Lullaby. When the song was completed, the water running along the floor was drained. "I'm not sure how that helped," he commented to Ai.

The fairy shrugged and urged him to keep searching. Once again he found himself back where he originally started, except this time without the water on the floor, he was able to see a hidden hole he could climb through. "I guess it's a good thing I'm small. If I was any larger, I'm not sure I could squeeze through," he thought out loud.

Ai snickered, "You might be the savior of Hyrule, but you are quite short despite the fact that you are a fully grown adult. Do you think KID is attracted to petite men?"

Shinichi turned crimson, "We really need to focus on exploring the bottom of this well. Normal wells don't have secret rooms and the Royal Family's Symbol. There is obviously something here."

The fairy chuckled but decided she had teased the hero enough. The two continued on in silence. What Ai didn't realize was that Shinichi was having an inner battle with himself. Kaito's Lullaby had reminded him of the absent prince. 'KID and I have kissed twice now. It doesn't take a genius to realize that he likes me. And if I'm honest with myself, I like him to,' he thought to himself.

'But…I won't lie to myself, I like the prince too. I may have only met him once, and he was even a child at the time, but something happened in the brief meeting, something that changed me. I can't stop thinking about Prince Kaito, but I also can't stop thinking about KID. KID, who I know likes me, who I also like,' he sighed to himself.

'To think I have a chance with the Prince of Hyrule is crazy. We met once as children, and only very briefly. This crush, or whatever it is, is crazy. Besides…..how could someone like me have a chance with the prince of Hyrule? I don't think it matters that I'm a commoner, but I'm a _male_. I could never give Prince Kaito an heir,' he sighed in defeat.

'I'm attracted to KID. If we ever had a meeting that lasted longer than five minutes, I bet I could easily fall for him…if I haven't already begun to fall,' he finished his thoughts just in time.

"I can sense that behind this door is an item with much power. I can also sense a great evil protecting it. Be careful," Ai warned.

Shinichi nodded his thanks and opened the door. It slammed and locked behind him, which just caused him to roll his eyes. He was so use to that by now. He took a quick look around his surroundings. The floor appeared to be made of dirt and he was closed in by tall hedges that acted as walls. He honestly couldn't tell if he was outside or if this room simply mimicked the outdoors. There was no way outside the room aside from the door he had just come through.

It was kind of dark, but as soon as his eyes adjusted, he let out a breath of surprise. Coming out of the ground, near each corner of the room, were four arms. The arms were long and skinny, the skin pale. The arms were so long, he had to crane his neck to see the hands attached at the top. The hands were open and looked like they were reaching for the ceiling. He squinted and could see that the fingernails were ruby red and sharp as knives.

Ai also examined the hands, and was careful to keep her distance, "Those hands coming from the ground, I know what we are up against. There is an enemy in here, called Dead Hand. He can be dangerous, but he is a coward. There is only one way to lure him out, you have to allow yourself to get captured by one of the hands coming from the ground. Only after you are captured will he reveal himself."

Shinichi gave her a look, "And how am I suppose to fight him after I'm captured?"

"The hands aren't that strong, I'm sure you can break their grip. Besides, you are still wearing the Goron Bracelet. That should give you enough strength to not only break its grip, but even a finger or two," she replied.

Shinichi looked at the golden bracelet on his wrist, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Ok, this plan makes a little more sense now."

He made his way to one of the hands in the nearest corner. As soon as he was within reach, the hand struck out and grabbed the hero around the throat. The moment the fingers closed around his throat, Shinichi heard a shuffling noise coming from behind him. He struggled with the fingers for a moment but managed to pry them off. He rolled out of reach of the arm and got his first look at Dead Hand.

He would never sleep again. This thing was surely made from nightmares. The Dead Hand was surely the thing that goes bump in the night. It was vaguely humanoid in shape, and it was hunched over. Instead of legs, it simply had a large mass of flesh that it shuffled around on. It arms were thin and it had no hands, and it kept its arms bent and close to its sides. It didn't have lips so he was free to see every one of its large teeth, it sort of looked like it was giving him an insane smile. Its eyes were black as coal and lifeless.

(A/N If you want to see what enemy gave thousands of Nintendo gamers nightmares, simply look up Dead Hand in your search engine.)

For a brief moment, Shinichi forgot that he was a brave hero with a very sharp sword. He backed against the wall and watched as the thing in front of him shuffled closer. It opened its mouth, its jaw stretching impossibly wide.

"_Please accept this, for luck."_

KID's voice rang through his head and Shinichi could almost taste the Sheikah's lips on his own. He stood tall and confidant and drew his sword. In one swift movement, he brought the Master Sword down on the enemy. If screamed once before falling over quite dead.

The four long arms simply faded as if they had never been there and a chest appeared. He opened it and pulled out what looked like a magnifying glass. The entire thing was purple, even lens. "This must be the Lens of Truth. I wonder how it works." Shinichi turned to Ai with a questioning look.

The fairy studied the purple magnifying glass, "I think I recognize this item. It's an ancient artifact made by the Sheikahs if I remember correctly. KID should know more about and he said he would stay in Kakariko Village to help. If we find him, we can ask."

xXx

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Sheikah, KID. Have you seen him?" Shinichi asked.

The old woman thought for a moment, "Oh yes, such a handsome young man. He rebuilt my chicken coop for me, than left. Is he your boyfriend?"

Shinichi blushed and stumbled over his words, "Ah-just a-ah friend. Thank you."

He asked around some more and while he learned that KID had helped many people in town rebuild, he never actually found the Sheikah.

He took a break under the shade of a tree. "This isn't exactly a large village, where could KID be?" Shinichi sighed.

"Looking for me, hero?" he inquired from behind him. The ninja snaked his arms around Shinichi's waist and rested his chin on the hero's shoulder.

Shinichi's heart skipped a beat and he fought to keep the blush off his face. He turned his head so he could look at KID better, which just caused the blush to surface full force when he saw how close KID was. He pulled the Lens of Truth from his pocket, "I found this at the bottom of the well. Do you have any idea what it is or how to use it?"

KID moved his attention to the lens in Shinichi's hand. "This is a very old item made by my ancestors many years ago. It has been missing for some time now. That you would find it is surely fate, the Goddesses must think this item will help you in your journey," he told the hero.

Shinichi frowned, "How does it work?"

To answer his question, KID took the lens in his hand and held it up for Shinichi to look through. His arm never left Shinichi's waist. "See that man's toolbox over there? Try looking at it through the lens."

Shinichi looked at the toolbox. For a moment, all he could see was an ordinary toolbox. But after a moment, he found that he could see through the box and actually see the items inside. "I can see the man's tools. So does this lens allow me to see through things?" he asked the ninja. A naughty idea formed in his head. What would happen if he looked at KID through the lens? He blushed and forced the thought away.

KID smiled, "Not quite. It's a little more complicated than that. The lens reveals the truth, or it reveals things that cannot be seen by the naked eye. More importantly, it can see through illusion. The Shadow Temple is said to be full of illusions, this item will be of great help when you face the temple. Some enemies are also invisible to the naked eye, but with the Lens of Truth, you will be able to see them."

"You mean like the Spirit Beast broke free of Jii's seal?" Shinichi asked.

"Exactly," KID told him. Shinichi saw KID suddenly narrow his eyes. He appeared to be looking closely at Shinichi's neck. "Hero, you have a ring of bruises around your neck. Did something happen when you obtained the lens?"

Shinichi nodded, a little confused by the question, "Before retrieving the item, I was forced to face a Dead Hand. The bruises are from the arms that attempted to strangle me."

KID looked at the bruises a little longer before making eye contact with Shinichi, "This journey really hasn't been easy for you, has it my hero? But take heart in the fact that it is close to over. Be strong, Shinichi. Prince Kaito is waiting for you." Shinichi blinked at KID and the ninja paused.

"You know what they say, kiss it and make it better," KID smirked. Before Shinichi could react, KID was giving his neck tiny kisses. Shinichi's eyes fluttered closed and he turned his head so that KID had better access. He let out a low moan of appreciation. KID pulled away from Shinichi's next and the hero let out a tiny noise of protest. KID chuckled and gave Shinichi a quick peck on the lips.

"Shinichi, after you save all of Hyrule, would you like to get a glass of Lon Lon Milk with me sometime?"

xXx

Shinichi found the entrance to the Shadow Temple behind the graveyard just as KID told him he would. A set of stone steps led him underground to the grand entrance. The Forest Temple had been beautiful before it was forgotten by time. The Shadow Temple was never beautiful. It was dark and mysterious and spoke of death.

Shinichi soon discovered that many of the walls in the temple were illusions. The Lens of Truth of course let him see which ones, but using the lens exhausted his magic power. When he felt the lens sapping at his strength, he was forced to take a potion to replenish it.

The entire temple gave him the creeps. Hell, even the walls whispered creepy things to him. He would often hear the walls tell him such things as, "What is hidden in the darkness…tricks full of ill will…you can't see the way forward…"

One thing he heard did cause him to pause, "Here is gathered Hyrule's bloody history of greed and hatred…"

He turned to Ai, "What do you suppose that means?"

"The history of the Shadow Temple is very clouded. Nobody knows who built it or for what purpose. Many theories have been made, however. Many think the temple was built by the Sheikahs. Some think it was built to pay homage to shadows and illusions. Others think it was built as a magnet to draw in all of Hyrule's evil and malevolent thoughts from the people of Hyrule, thus maintaining peace and order. Some think it was built as a prison for Hyrule's evil doers," the fairy explained.

Shinichi replied, "Interesting…and very creepy."

At that moment Shinichi gained access to a new room. The inside looked much like the room where he fought the Dead Hand, minus the arms in the corners of the room. Instead he saw a crouching figure in the center of the room. It was naked and so thin he could see every bone in its body. The shin was brown and looked shriveled. It sort of reminded him of a raison. It was curled into the fetal position with its arms covering its face. As soon as Shinichi walked into the room, the thing stood giving him a look at its face for the first time. It appeared to be wearing a mask crudely carved from wood. The mask was simple in design, it was simply two perfect circles for the eyes and a third perfect circle for the mouth.

"That is a Redead. It's a zombie-like enemy. You have to attack it quickly before it freezes you with its…" Ai began but was interrupted.

The Redead let out an ear piercing scream. It was the most terrifying noise Shinichi had ever heard. He tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond.

"…paralyzing scream," she finished. "You have to fight it Shinichi, mind over matter, come on you can do it! You don't want to see what the alternative it!"

Shinichi was grinding his teeth as he struggled to get his body to move. The Redead was slowly making its way to him. "Why, what's the alternative?" he asked.

"If it manages to catch you, it will climb onto your back and molest you while it eats your flesh*" Ai answered.

"WHAT! Ok, no way am I going to let a dead raison zombie touch me inappropriately while it tries to eat me," with a sudden burst of strength, Shinichi was able to move again. He raised his sword got rid of the zombie.

Once the Redead was defeated, a chest appeared as his reward. He opened it and found inside a strange pair of boots. They looked like normal boots except they had a tiny pair of wings attached to them. "Oh, I know what those are, they are Hover Boots. If you wear those and step off of a ledge, they allow you to float for a short period of time. The only problem with them is that they will give you no traction and can making normal walking a slippery challenge. I would recommend only wearing them when you need them," the fairy suggested.

Shinichi groaned, "Fantastic, so it's going to be like the Water Temple all over again; boots on, boots off, boots on, boots off. Ok, let's get this temple over with."

Shinichi continued on. He soon found use for the Hover Boots. He found a new doorway he had yet to go through, but unfortunately it was across a bottomless pit that was too jump across. Unfortunately, it was also too far for him to walk across with the hover boots. A puzzle stood nearby and he was sure if he solved it, it would allow him to cross to the door.

The puzzle was a statue of a raven. If he listened closely, he could hear it whisper to him, "_Face my beak in the direction of the skull of truth. The alternative is to descend into eternal darkness._" The walls surrounding the room where covered in skulls.

"Well, I get from the puzzle that I have to face the statue in the direction of a certain skull, or I will never cross the gap to get to that door. I just have to figure out which skull is the correct one. Luckily, I have something handy that reveals the truth," he smirked as he pulled out his Lens of Truth. He looked at each skull and found that under the lens, all of the skulls disappeared, all but one that is. The one that he could see with the lens must be the correct skull while the rest were illusions. He spun the large statue until it was facing the correct skull and it clicked into place.

Once the statue was in place, a bridge began to come out from the opposite side of the gap. But instead of connecting from one side of the gap to the other, it stopped about halfway across. It was clear what he had to do, he would have to put on the Hover Boots and run across the gap. He just hoped the boots hovered long enough so that he could make it to the bridge.

He put on the boots. They were slippery just as Ai had said. It reminded him of walking on ice. He tried to get a running start, but the boots gave him no traction so it was impossible. He had to simply walk across and hope he didn't fall into the eternal darkness. He took a couple calming breaths and began to walk. He reached the gap and his feet left the ground. Instead of falling into the bottomless pit, he hovered in midair. He took another step, and another. He was almost to the bridge when he felt himself beginning to fall. He reached out desperately and was barely able to grab a hold of the bridge. He pulled himself up and walked the rest of the way to the door.

Through the door, he found another spinning blade much like the one he had found in the ice cave when he retrieved the Iron Boots. This one however wasn't made of ice. It looked like a giant scythe and even had two larger than life grim reaper statues that stood back to back and spun the scythe blades. He didn't know if he should be scared or laugh at how tacky it was. Either way, the twin spinning reapers were just as easy to dodge as the ice blade in the snow cavern.

Next he found a room with floating guillotines, a room with an invisible grim reaper wielding a scythe (he had to use the Lens of Truth to see it), and a room with a spike trap that would fall from the ceiling onto him if he wasn't careful. The thing that set this temple apart from others was that it had fewer enemies but more traps.

He entered a new room and found himself facing a large ferry. The boat was floating in midair with fog swirling around it. The head of the boat resembled a bird and near the bottom it held two bells in its talons. He climbed aboard the ferry and gazed ahead trying to see where it would take him, but the fog was too thick. "This ferry is giving me the creeps. It reminds me of the ferry that is sad to take souls to the realm of the dead," he muttered.

Ai nodded in agreement. She noticed the Symbol of the Royal family was etched into the boat. She pointed it out to Shinichi who pulled his Ocarina and played Kaito's Lullaby. When the song was completed, they heard a faint tinkling noise, "Did you hear that?"

The sound rang again and Shinichi nodded, "I think it's the two bells we saw at the bottom of the ferry." He felt the ferry begin to move on its own despite the lack of caption or driver. The ferry bobbed on nonexistent water, the bells tinkling every so often. They road in silence and simply waited till they reached the ferry's destination. It at least seemed to know where it was going.

The trip was smooth until the ferry rammed into a wall. "Ai, the ferry is sinking, we have to get out of here!" Shinichi called out. He gazed through the fog and could barely make out land. He jumped off the ferry to the ground and turned just in time to see the ferry sink into oblivion.

After that, he found himself in a maze, except all of the walls were invisible. Unfortunately, he figured this out the hard way, by bumping into the invisible barrier and smashing his nose. Once he figured out the walls were there, he was able to use the Lens of Truth to find his way out of the maze.

"Okay Shinichi, I can sense a great evil behind this door. The Shadow Spirit must be beyond this door," Ai told him.

Shinichi opened the door, but the room was empty. Not surprising, he did know that the Shadow Spirit was invisible to the naked eye. He looked through the Lens of Truth but was surprised to see that the room was still empty. He used the lens to examine the floor and discovered that in the center of the room was a hole. He approached the hole and tried to see what was at the bottom, but it was to dark. He also couldn't find a ladder or any footholds. The only way to get down was by falling.

Shinichi set out a sigh and jumped down the hole. He fell for quite a while but was shocked when he landed on soft, bouncy ground. Actually, the ground was very bouncy, strangely so in fact. "Shinichi, now would be a good time to use your Lens of Truth," the fairy suggested.

Shinichi pulled out the lens and looked around. A quick examination of his surroundings showed him that he was actually standing on a giant drum! The drum was floating in a sea of what looked like poisonous miasma. He used the lens to look up, "Ai, I found the Shadow Spirit."

He held the Lens of Truth out so that the fairy could have a look, "That's Bongo Bongo. By careful, this battle will get quite annoying considering you can only see him with the Lens of Truth. It won't be easy fighting with just one hand."

Bongo Bongo was so large, Shinichi could only see half of its body. It was enormous, its body just seemed to appear from the darkness. Where its head should have been was what looked a bit like a black flower. The petals circled around a glowing red eye that took up the entire things face. It had arms and hands, but the hands weren't attached to the arms but instead floated in place.

The hands began playing the giant drum that Shinichi stood on. It was a little hard balancing while he played, but he managed. Than without warning, one of the hands reached out and grabbed him. The hand was so big, his entire body easily fit inside its palm. The thing shook Shinichi around before throwing him.

"Shinichi, are you alright?" his fairy asked in concern.

Shinichi growled and got to his feet, "That must have been the same attack it used on KID. You will pay for that."

He fired an arrow off at the right hand. Bongo Bongo roared and began shaking his hand as if he could shake the pain away. He used his other hand to slam down and try to squash Shinichi. The hero simply dodged and slashed at the other hand.

With both hands injured, Bongo Bongo charged at Shinichi and tried to head butt the hero. Shinichi was too quick for him he fired off an arrow that stunned the Shadow Spirit and then attacked his eye with the Master Sword.

Bongo Bongo drew himself up in anger and began slapping the drum in anger. Dodging the gigantic hands was very hard for Shinichi, especially since the drum made him bounce like he was on a trampoline. His luck ran out when one of the hands smashed down on his ankle painfully. Shinichi bite back a shout of pain. He tried to stand and put weight on his leg, but the pain and the unstable ground made it impossible. He fell back on his butt and gingerly held his ankle.

Bongo Bongo snarled in triumph, sure that his prey was finished. He charged at Shinichi, his single red orb getting closer and closer. The eye was so close, Shinichi could see his reflection inside it. He raised his Long Shot and fired directly into the center of the eye. Bongo Bongo stopped charging and screeched in pain. Shinichi climbed painfully to his feet and drove the Master Sword deep into the eye, killing the Shadow Spirit once and for all.

xXx

Shinichi looked around and saw he was standing in the Chamber of Sages. Wait, he was standing? He glanced down and tried rolling his ankle, it seemed completely healed. "I used a small amount of my power to heal your ankle. It's the least I can do for the boy with Kaito's Ocarina."

Shinichi looked up at the speaker and wasn't surprised to see Jii, Kaito's caretaker, standing in front of him. "Jii, I'm glad you are safe. KID told me you went to the Shadow Temple to reseal Bongo Bongo and I wasn't sure I would make it in time to help you," Shinichi told the sage.

"Shinichi, as you may already know, we Sheikah have served the royal family for generations. But on that day seven years, Gin suddenly attacked. His attack was so well planned that Hyrule Castle was forced to surrender after just a short period of time. Gin's target was one of the keys to get into the Sacred Realm, the treasure of the Royal Family, the Ocarina of Time. My duty bound me to take Prince Kaito to safety. I want you to know that Prince Kaito is safe, you have nothing to worry about. Soon, you will meet the prince face-to-face and he will explain everything. That is when we, the Six Wise Ones, will seal up Gin and return peace to Hyrule. I have to stay here in the chamber in order to help you. Please, go to Prince Kaito's side and protect him on my behalf. Please take this, the Shadow Medallion, so that I may add my power to yours," at the end of his speech, Jii raised his arms wide and summoned the Shadow Medallion.

The medallion floated to Shinichi. It was a deep purple color and had a triangle in the middle with three circles closing around it on the outer edge. Shinichi felt the familiar pull the meant he was returning to the outer world. He could no longer see the Chamber of Sages anymore, but he still heard Jii call after him, "Please, look out for the Prince…"

xXx

*= I'm not making this up! Redeads molest Link and are fucked up! Go look it up on youtube. Just make sure you are watching a video from Ocarina of Time and not one of the other games.

All the theories Ai mentioned about the Shadow Temple are real theories that can be found any certain Zelda fan cites. None of the theories have been confirmed as correct by Nintendo because they like to keep us guessing and keep all of their secrets locked up tight.

This chapter was very hard to write, so I would appreciate any reviews, even if it's just to say 'me like.'


	9. The Spirit Sage

My, the quest to get awaken the Spirit Sage is a long one! This chapter was hard to write because it seemed to go on forever. Thanks for reading and please review.

xXx

Shinichi left behind the lush fields of Hyrule and headed for the hot Gerudo desert. Problems arose immediately, but he _was _after the _last_ spirit medallion, so he expected there to be numerous obstacles.

"Did Gin's followers really think they could stop me just by cutting the only bridge to the desert?" Shinichi snorted, "My Longshot will easily get us across. It wasn't a very thought out plan. Why even bother?"

Ai shook her head, "It's not about the cut bridge, but the _message_ that the cut bridge sends. After you cross this bridge, you will be entirely in enemy territory. Across this bridge lives the Gerudo, the desert people, and they are clearly telling you that they do not want you here."

Shinichi nodded at her words, "I guess you are right. With all of the other temples, the people living in the nearby area were peaceful and had no ill will against me. But the Gerudo have already put themselves against me…this won't be easy."

Shinichi pulled out his Longshot and within seconds he was across the deep drop that separated Hyrule Fields from the Gerudo Desert. He set off through the gorge, the ground becoming more elevated as he walked.

He walked around a large boulder and saw a young man seated on a rock on the other side. The hero paused in surprise; he wasn't expecting to see anyone till he got closer to the Gerudo village. The other boy turned to him as he approached. Shinichi saw his eyes pause and take in the Master Sword strapped to his back. His eyes widened and he stood and approached Shinichi.

"You there, are you a swordsman?" he asked Shinichi.

Shinichi blinked, "Ah…I suppose I am.

The boy nodded and took a step closer to Shinichi, "You have to help me. My friend, she is in the Gerudo village up ahead. I haven't heard from her in a while and I'm worried something happened to her. But I'm just the son of a botanist, and I don't know anything about fighting. Please, you must come with me and help my friend."

Shinichi could hear a note of desperation in the other's voice. "Of course I'll help. I'm on my way to the Gerudo village myself. I have some business there. My name is Shinichi," he added.

"I'm Hakuba, pleasure to meet you Shinichi," the other said in a polite tone.*

They shook hands and began to walk together to the village.

xXx

Shinichi and his new companion, Hakuba, crouched hidden behind a boulder and inspected the village. The village was nestled into the side of a mountain. All of the structures were built of stacked stones and the tops were completely flat to catch any precious rainwater that might fall. Some of the buildings looked to be stacked on top of each other creating multiple levels to the village. The lack of plant life of any kind left the village looking unfinished to the hero, who grew up in the forest and had never seen a desert before.

The thing that worried Shinichi the most was the multiple guards that passed around the village. He counted three, no four, women patrolling around the village. He could tell by their similar appearance that they were all Gerudo. All the guards were women with brown skin that spoke of the harsh desert sun. Their outfits were brightly colored, and they all wore the same slipper like shoes with the tips curled up. Their pants looked loose and airy and they used a tiny piece of clothe to cover their chest, but they left their stomach bare and exposed. Oh, and one more thing, they all carried sharp looking glaives. Not sure what a glaive is? It's a scary looking blade attached to a long pole.

"How do we get in?" Hakuba whispered.

Shinichi shrugged his shoulders and turned to his fairy, "Any suggestions, Ai?"

The fairy thought for a moment before she finally answered, "Let yourself get caught."

Hakuba hissed, "What? Are you crazy? Shinichi, tell her she is insane!"

Shinichi pulled away and rubbed a finger around his ear with a scowl, Hakuba had hissed/whispered right into his ear, "Ai, I know from past experiences that your ideas always end up working. However, could you humor us simpletons by explaining your plan to us?"

Ai stifled a chuckle when Hakuba huffed at being called 'simpleton.' She answered, "Well it's simple really. It looks to me like most of the guarding is focused on the perimeter of the village. I bet they don't expect anyone to get past them, so they don't think they need to guard the inside of the village as heavily. You are outnumbered 2:1 with a gardener as your backup (Hakuba, "Botanist!") and each one of those girls looks like they know _exactly_ what they are doing with their glaives. So my suggestion, get caught. Let them bring you into the village, then_ escape_."

Hakuba crossed his arms and frowned at the fairy, "I suppose you are assuming that the Gerudo won't simply kill us on the spot."

Shinichi interrupted before Ai could reply, "It's the only plan we've got so we might as well go with it. If the Gerudo try to kill us after capturing us, I'll think of something. Now come one!"

Hakuba sighed but didn't argue further.

xXx

The females shrieked with laughter as they threw Shinichi and Hakuba down the hole and into the prison below, "Stupid men, stay down there and keep quiet."

Shinichi landed with a crouch while Hakuba landed hard on his ass. The botanist wasn't use to being thrown around, unlike our harassed hero. Shinichi waited until he could no longer hear the laughing women and then he turned to Hakuba.

"Are you alright?" he asked his new travel companion. The other nodded so he turned and inspected their surroundings, "It looks like the only door out is the one we came in, that hole in the ceiling. There is also a window, but it's pretty high up."

Hakuba frowned in worry, "What do we do? How are we going to get out?"

Shinichi turned to Hakuba with a confidant smile, "Well lucky for us, they didn't take any of my weapons or equipment. They must have been confidant that we wouldn't be able to get out of here." He pulled out his Longshot. "I can use this to hook to the top of the window."

"Can it lift both of us?" Hakuba asked.

"I'm sure it can, it's very strong. You are going to have to hold on to me very tightly," he answered.

The two of them got out without any problems and took cover behind a wooden crate. Hakuba peeked his head out, "It's clear, let's get inside."

They were able to run inside a nearby building. As soon as they made it inside, Shinichi saw a small cell. "I wonder why they didn't throw us in there," he said to Hakuba.

"Probably because there is already someone in there," he replied.

Shinichi looked and saw that the botanist was right, a large man stood inside the cell. They made there was closer to the cell and the man finally noticed them. "I don't know where you two came from, but you must have a lot of guts to make it past all of the guards around here," he grunted at them.

"Who are you?" Hakuba asked the man.

The man replied, "I'm Ichiro, the carpenter. Me and my fellow carpenters were repairing the bridge outside of the Gerudo desert. We uh…decided we wanted to visit the lady folk if you know what I mean. Anyway, they threw us in prison. Somewhere in this fortress is my fellow carpenter buddies. You have to let us out, we didn't mean any harm; we were just flirtin' with the ladies."

Hakuba turned to Shinichi who shrugged, "We can't just leave them in here. Who knows what the Gerudo will do to them."

Hakuba nodded, "Okay, but how are we going to get the keys to the cell?"

"You mean like this key?" a voice came from behind them. The two boys turned and found a Gerudo standing behind them. She was holding a silver key up and waving it around with a smirk on her face.

Shinichi smiled at the Gerudo, "I suppose you won't just give that key to me, will you?"

The Gerudo smiled and took a fighting stance. She used twin swords and crouched low to the ground. One sword held high behind her back and the other low in front of her. "No I won't, but if you defeat me, you can have it," she answered before springing forward.

Shinichi blocked her blow and the two began fight. The Gerudo woman was very skilled, and her fighting style was very graceful. She looked almost like she was dancing. She brought both swords down at the same time, Shinichi blocked just in time, "You are a very skilled fighter, it has been awhile since I fought a human as skilled as you."

The Gerudo smirked, "Thank you, trespasser. The Gerudo people are very skilled warriors. We are trained in the art of fighting at a very young age." She flung his sword away and sprang at him.

Shinichi jumped back to avoid her blow and retaliated with one of his own, "I see, but why are you fighting us? And why are you holding the carpenters prisoner? We have done nothing wrong."

The Gerudo suddenly frowned, "You came to our lands, that is enough. We cut the bridge connecting our desert with the rest of Hyrule, and yet still you men came. Our orders were to not let any outsiders into out lands. Anyone that trespasses will be punished."

It was Shinichi's turn to frown, "Whose orders?"

"Enough talk," she snarled before throwing herself into the fight. It was all Shinichi could do to avoid her blows, he was completely on the defensive.

"Ai, a little help here," Shinichi called to his fairy.

"What do you expect me to do?" she called back in frustration.

Hakuba suddenly called to the hero, "I think I have a plan." He came up behind Shinichi and pushed the hero out of the way. The Gerudo paused for a moment in confusion and he threw a hand full of some brown powder in her face.

"What? Is that Valerian roots?" The Gerudo had enough time to ask before she collapsed onto the ground.**

Hakuba saw Shinichi's concerned look, "Don't worry, she is just sleeping." He held up a small glass bottle; Shinichi could see a brown powder inside. "I threw crushed Valerian root in her face. It instantly put her to sleep."

Shinichi was impressed, "I think you sold yourself a little short when we met. You may not be able to fight, but you have your own talents."

The botanist shrugged, "Plants can be more mysterious then most people think. Not all plants are just for looking and smelling nice. I have learned that during all my years working with them."

Shinichi took the prison key off of the sleeping Gerudo and released the carpenter. He thanked them and left presumably to sneak back to Hyrule.

xXx

Shinichi and Hakuba continued deeper into the Gerudo city. They had to sneak around to avoid detection by guards. Sometimes a guard would block a door or hallway, but during those times Hakuba used his trusty Valerian root to put them to sleep. Still, they tried to avoid using the sleeping powder as much as possible. If the other guards suddenly found a bunch of sleeping Gerudo lying around, it could cause them to become suspicious.

"So this friend of yours, is he one of the carpenters imprisoned in here?" Shinichi asked.

The botanist hesitated, "Not exactly."

Shinichi would have asked him to elaborate, but a new voice interrupted, "Is someone there? Please, get me out of here."

"It looks like you found another imprisoned carpenter," Ai told the two.

Shinichi and Hakuba made their way to the man in the cell. The man spoke, "My name is Jiro. I'm a carpenter and I was repairing the bridge when…"

"We know," Hakuba interrupted, "We'll get you out as soon as we can find a key. I bet there is a guard nearby that has a key."

"You mean like me?" A Gerudo guard behind them spoke up.

Shinichi turned and gave the guard a scowl, "Do the Gerudo have a habit of sneaking up on people and making their entrance at _just the right moment_?"

Hakuba also frowned, "And let me guess, if we defeat you, you will give us the key?"

The female Gerudo gave them both a winning smile, "Well I see you both know my lines, so I won't bore you with the rest." She raised her twin swords and sprang forward.

Once again, Shinichi and the Gerudo fought. They circled around each other, both looking for an opening and finding none. Hakuba watched, keeping his eyes peeled for any moment when he could slip the guard some Valerian root powder. When the opportunity didn't arise, he had to resort to more desperate measures.

"Sorry Shinichi," he called out before he covered his nose with his sleeve and threw some of the powder at the two.

The guard was caught completely by surprise…as was Shinichi. The hero had already taken a deep breath of the powder before he realized what the botanist had done. "Hakuba, wha…" he had enough time to utter before he fell unconscious next to the female Gerudo.

Ai turned to Hakuba, "Now that the only one in our group that can fight is unconscious, no thanks to you, what do you suggest we do now?"

The other gave her an arrogant smirk, "Do you really think I have a plant to put someone to sleep but not a plant that can wake someone up? Just give me a moment; I'll have him awake in a moment."

He rolled Shinichi onto his back and cupped the back of the hero's head, propping it up off the ground a little. He reached into a pouch at his side and pulled out a tiny glass bottle with an amber colored liquid inside. He carefully poured a couple drops of the liquid into Shinichi's mouth and waited.

After just a moment, Shinichi showed signs of waking up. "KID, is that you?" he mumbled before opening his eyes. He blinked in confusion when he saw Hakuba.

"Are you ok, Shinichi? And I wouldn't say I'm a child, I'm probably the same age as you," Hakuba asked confused.

Shinichi blushed, "Oh, uh I'm fine. Let's move on before the Gerudo wakes up."

"Hey guys, don't forget me!" Jiro called from his cell.

Shinichi took the key from the Gerudo and unlocked Jiro's cell door. "Thanks for letting me out, kid. Say, you are kinda cute, better looking than some of those Gerudo women in here even," the carpenter chuckled. Shinichi sputtered a little, not really sure what to say. "Aww, you don't need to be shy, although it does just make you look even cuter. Am I right?" he smacked Hakuba hard on the back.

"Get your hands off of me, you great oaf. Why don't you get out of here before another Gerudo throws you in prison? Come on Shinichi, Ai, let's get moving." Hakuba began walking to the door without waiting for Shinichi.

xXx

"So Hakuba," Ai began. She saw the botanist tense and inwardly grinned, "I noticed you got a little angry back there when Jiro started talking about how cute Shinichi is."

Hakuba let his breath out in relief, "Oh that. I didn't care about that, I just didn't like it when he slapped me on the back."

"So you don't think Shinichi is cute?" Ai questioned.

Hakuba retorted, "I didn't say that."

"Well it's a good thing you don't think Shinichi is cute, because he already has a boyfriend," Ai replied ignoring Shinichi's growing blush.

"I never said I didn't think he was cute! I think he is actually quite attractive, actually. But that doesn't matter and I don't care if he has a boyfriend because I'm already in love with my friend we are going to rescue!" He all but shouted at the fairy.

Ai was giving him a smug look, or she was until she felt a hand close around her tiny body. She squeaked in surprise. "Alright Ai, I think it's time you took a nap under my hat," Shinichi told the tiny fairy before throwing her underneath his hat. He walked with Hakuba in silence for awhile. Finally he felt the need to break the silence, "So your friend, were they kidnapped by the Gerudo?"

His companion sighed, "Actually, she is a Gerudo. Her name is Aoko."

Shinichi nodded, "Why don't you tell me what happened."

The botanist nodded, "When I was young, the Gerudo use to come to my village. They weren't as hostile to others back then, and sometimes the women would become the girlfriends of the men in my village. One day, _she_ came."

"Aoko," Shinichi asked although it wasn't really a question.

Hakuba nodded, "She had never been outside of the Gerudo desert before as she had only just turned old enough to travel with the other Gerudo. She spotted me and walked right up to me and introduced herself. We immediately became friends. She was curious about _everything_. She told me she wasn't use to seeing so much green."

"So what happened?" Shinichi asked.

"I don't know. One day, about seven years ago, she told me she wasn't allowed to see me anymore. She was crying. When I asked her why, she just shook her head and said something about _the king_ and left. I was too young to try to help her back then, but I just became of age, so I set out immediately," Hakuba finished.

Shinichi sighed, "And that was about when I met you, a lone botanist without any weapons to defend himself against a group of violent women."

Hakuba glared, "Seven years ago, they weren't violent. Sure they loved swords and knives, and they never passed up the opportunity to best their boyfriends in a fight, but they didn't lock people up for no good reason."

"So something must have changed seven years ago. I can only think of one thing, or more specifically, one person. Ai, are you listening to this?" Shinichi looked up toward his hat.

His fairy lazily raised the brim of his hat with one hand so that she could be seen, "Of course. And I know where you are going with that thought and I agree, it must be the work of Gin."

Hakuba looked up, "Who is Gin?"

Before Shinichi could explain, a gruff voice spoke up, "Hey kids, let me out." They had found another imprisoned carpenter.

Shinichi began to walk to the cell but stopped when a Gerudo blocked his path. This one looked like every other guard except for one key difference, the lower half of her face was covered with a piece of cloth. She saw Shinichi looking at it, "That's right, intruder, we found some of the guards sleeping and were able to figure out what happened. Your tricks won't work so easily on me. If you want to release that man, you will have to defeat me the old fashioned way."

"But why imprison them in the first place?" Shinichi questioned.

"Because our king demands it. Now fight me!" She charged.

Hakuba watched the two fight, but had to stop. They moved so fast, it made him dizzy trying to keep up. Their swords were like extensions of their arms, the way they moved them. It looked effortless. And yet…yes, now that he looked for it, he could see the beads of sweat on Shinichi's brow, the heavy breaths the Gerudo was taking. They were growing tired, and fast. The fight would soon end.

Shinichi chose that moment to knock the twin swords from the Gerudo's grip and point the Master Sword at her slender throat. The Gerudo froze and glared with hatred at the hero. "I won, now give me the key to the carpenter's cell," he told her while panting slightly.

At first, Hakuba didn't think she would do it, but then she reached into her pocket and tossed a silver key at him. He caught it and went to unlock the carpenter's cell. "Thanks kid, my name is Shiro," he told Shinichi before leaving through the door. Hakuba knew he wouldn't have any trouble getting out, he had drugged half the guards in the fortress.

The two heard slow clapping. They turned to the door as a new Gerudo walked into the room. Shinichi raised his sword but she stopped him, "Put that thing away, boy. You could hurt someone. I'm not interested in fighting you." Shinichi hesitantly lowered his sword. The Gerudo smiled. She was very beautiful and she had long red hair, "My name Akako, and I have seen you're fine work. I use to think all men were useless," she paused and cleared her throat, "All men but the great Gin of course. But today, after seeing you in action, I realized I was wrong. The great Vermouth put me in charge of this fortress. Vermouth is the second-in-command to the _great_ Gin, King of the Gerudo thieves. Her headquarters are in the Spirit Temple, which is at the end of the desert."

Shinichi looked at her suspiciously, "Why are you telling me this?"

Akako laughed. Shinichi shivered, her laugh was creepy, like the cackle of a witch. She answered, "Because I figured you would want to meet her. After all, I have just decided to make you an honorary member of the Gerudo tribe. Your fighting impressed me, so I am giving you membership."

Hakuba asked, "Why would he want to be part of the Gerudo tribe?"

Akako turned to him and gave him a mischievous smile, "Simple, now that he is a member, he has free access to the desert, our fortress, the training grounds, and he can talk to any Gerudo in the desert without having to fight them first. As for you, young botanist….you have also impressed me."

Hakuba raised an eyebrow, "I don't suppose I get some fancy membership as well, because I really don't have use for it."

She chuckled, "No, I have something else I think you want more. You may not wield a sword, but you have your own weapon of choice, the plants you use. As I said, you impressed me. Your reward is what you came here for. I see no reason why you cannot be friends with our young Aoko."

Hakuba froze, "A-Aoko?"

A young Gerudo, somewhere around Shinichi and Hakuba's age, came running in and threw herself into Hakuba's arms. "Haku, You really came! I heard the rumors from the other girls, but I didn't believe them. But you are really came! I have missed you all of these years, I never forgot about you."

Hakuba came out of his shock and awkwardly hugged her in return, a small blush on his face, "I missed you too."

Shinichi smiled at the two. "Come on Shinichi, our business here is done. Let's cross the desert and find the Spirit Temple," Ai told her companion.

xXx

"You really want to go out into the desert?" the Gerudo asked.

Shinichi sighed in frustration, "For the third time, yes. I have business at the Spirit Temple. Please open the gate and let me pass."

The guard looked at Shinichi long and hard, as if measuring him up, and her expression said she wasn't impressed by what she saw. "You are crazy, rookie. Even we Gerudo hesitate before going deep into the desert. We will die out there….but, if you are really so determined, who I am to stop you. I will open the gate for you."

Shinichi smiled in relief, "Thank you."

"But," She continued, "I will at least give you some information before you go. When making your way to the Spirit Temple, there will be two trials you must face. The first is the River of Sand. You _cannot _walk across this river. If you do manage to get across the River of Sand, follow the flags we have placed, they will lead you to the second trial. The second trial is the Phantom Guide. Those without eyes that can see the truth will only find themselves returning here."

The hero blinked in confusion at the Gerudo's strange information. He wasn't exactly sure what she was talking about, "Thank you for the information."

The Gerudo gave him one last look before shrugging her shoulders and raising the gate. Shinichi walked through and she immediately closed the gate behind him.

As soon as Shinichi left the high protective walls of the Gerudo fortress, the wind beat down on him and sent sand into his eyes. He squinted against the sand storms trying to see. With little else to do, he made his way forward. He thought he could see in the distance two tall poles with a red cloth tied to them. They must be the flags the gate guard was talking about, but where was the River of Sand?

Shinichi made his way to the two flags keeping his eyes on the ground in attempt to protect them from the sand. He looked up again and saw something that made him pause; the sand seemed to be crawling along the ground. What? He cautiously moved closer and saw just past the two flags was the patch of strange crawling sand. Now that he was closer, he could finally see what it was: quicksand.

After living in the forest all his life, he had only heard stories of deserts and the mysteries they contained. One story he remembered was about quicksand. He hadn't believed they were real, believed they were just stories the Kokiri children had made up to scare him. But now the truth was staring him in the face.

He picked up a random animal skull; because that's something every hot desert has, right? Maybe next to a cactus? He tossed it up in the air and caught it before casually flicking his wrist and tossing it into the quicksand. Within moments, the skull was gone, completely swallowed by the sands.

He considered going around the patch of crawling sand, but a quick glance to the left and right showed that it seemed to stretch for miles. Well the Gerudo did say this was a trial, going around the quicksand would be too easy.

"Ai, I think it's a puzzle. She told me I can't _walk_ over the River of Sand. But I bet I can fly over it," he pulled out his Longshot and squinted his eyes, scanning the other side of the quicksand. Sure enough, he could barely make out another set of flags on the other side. He took careful aim and fired the Longshot. It hit one of the flag poles and the sharp point imbedded itself deep into the wood. He pushed the button on the handle and flew across the quicksand safely to the other side.

Now what was the next part? Oh yeah, follow the flags. He squinted into the distance; he could barely make out a red flag in the distance. The wind blew the sand into the air making it hard to see it, sometimes concealing it completely. He kept his eyes glued to the flag and began walking. When he made it to the flag, he looked around. Ah, there! He could just barely see the next flag, but he began walking.

He kept this pattern up until he was deep in the desert. The only thing within site was sand, sand, sand, and the next flag. After doing this for some time, he saw not one, but a circle of red flags in the distance. It had to be his destination. He walked to the circle of flags and looked down. Half buried in the sand was a small stone altar. It had a path that looped around the outside and lead to the top. He walked around the altar until he found the start of the path and started the short journey to the top. It didn't take very long, the altar wasn't very tall.

Once at the top, he saw a tablet with writing on it. It read, "One with the Eye of Truth shall be guided to the Spirit Temple by an inviting ghost." The instructions were pretty straight forward. He pulled out the Lens of Truth and looked around. Floating high above his head was a Poe. She noticed Shinichi looking at her through the lens and she let out a cackle of laughter.

"I'll be your guide on your way, but coming back I won't play! I'll show you the only way to go, so follow me and don't be slow!" with those last words, she began floating away.

"Hey, wait," Shinichi cried and ran after her. The ghost was very fast and he had a lot of trouble keeping up, especially considering he was running on sand, which isn't that easy to run on. He had no choice however; there were no red flags to follow this time, just the ghost. So he followed her up and down the sand dunes, farther and farther into the desert. Sometimes the ghost seemed to be toying with him. She would suddenly change directions and make Shinichi retrace his steps, as if she were trying to lose him. Shinichi noticed however that if he ever lost sight of her, she would be waiting for him, hovering in one spot until he took off after her again.

Than it happened, she just disappeared. He looked around for her, not sure where to go next. He walked to the spot he had last seen her and suddenly the wind died leaving not even a hint of a breeze. The sand settled and he could suddenly see.

Ai poked her head out from under his hat and looked around, "this place is called the Desert Colossus."

"How do you know?" Shinichi asked.

"Because it says so on that sign right there," she gestured.

Shinichi groaned and stuffed her back under his hat, ignored her squeak of protest. He looked around. It looked a bit like an oasis. There were a couple of palm trees and a small pond. But what really stole his attention was the gigantic relief sculpture carved into the side of a high plateau. The sculpture was several stories tall and was carved in the shape of a praying Gerudo woman. At her feet was a doorway going into the plateau. Above the doorway was carved a bird, its wings spread wide from one side of the door to the other.

Walking inside Shinichi found that he seemed to be inside a temple. In front of him were two cobra statues, one on the left side and one on the right. The snakes were both rearing up clearly showing the poems carved underneath their chins. He couldn't see any doors or any way deeper into the temple, just this single room. He walked to the statue on the left first and read aloud, "'If you want to proceed to the past, you should return here with the pure heart of a child.' Any idea what that means, Ai?"

The fairy studied the poem, "I'm not sure. Maybe the other statue will give us some clues."

Shinichi read the statue on the right, "'If you want to travel to the future, you should return here with the power of silver from the past.' This one is just as confusing as the first."

"Not really, look at the wall here," Ai told him. She was indicating the wall to the right of the snake Shinichi was in front of. The walls of the room were all the same color brown, except for the part Ai was pointing to. It was made of black stone and had a symbol carved into it, a crescent moon with a star.

"Ok, that bit of the wall is suspicious, but what about it?" Shinichi asked.

"Shinichi, I don't think its part of the wall. I think it's a stone block that is in the way of a door," the fairy answered.

Shinichi's eyes widened, "You're right. And these statues are both symmetrical. If there is something on the right side, there should be something on the left." He barely restrained himself from running to the other side of the room. The left side of the wall was a little disappointing however. All he could see was a hole in the wall. It looked large enough for a child to crawl through, but much too small for him. He circled around the room a couple of times, inspecting the two poems, the block, and the hole, but he had no idea what he was supposed to do. "Let's get some fresh air, Ai. I need to think about this one," he told his companion as he walked back outside.

His breath caught in his throat when he saw KID waiting for him outside. His heart skipped a beat, he didn't realize how much he missed the Sheikah until he saw him now. He gave his…boyfriend (?) a warm smile, which KID returned. "Past, present, future…The Master Sword is a ship in which you can sail upstream and downstream through time's river…The port for that ship is within the Temple of Time. To restore the Desert Colossus and enter the Spirit Temple, you must travel back through time's flow."

Shinichi frowned before realization dawned on him, "Are you telling me that if I put the Master Sword back in the Temple of Time, I can go back in time to being a child? So that hole I saw in there, it really _is_ for a child. I'm suppose to face this temple as I was seven years ago."

KID took one of Shinichi's hands in his own. He pulled his cowl down and placed a kiss on Shinichi's knuckles, "Not the only entire temple, you only need to be a child until you find the item that will help you move that block on the right side."

"You mean the _silver from the past?_" he asked.

KID made a noise of agreement before turning Shinichi's hand over and kissing his wrist, causing the hero to turn pink. "The moment you find that item, you have to return to the Temple of Time and get the Master Sword back. You can play the Prelude of Light to take you their immediately, you don't even have to walk through the desert again," the ninja answered.

Shinichi raised an eyebrow, "You are worried about me, aren't you. Why?"

"You are use to your adult body now, and you have the Master Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane. But when you travel back, you will once again be in the body of a child, a significantly weaker body that you are not use to. And you won't be able to wield the Master Sword but will be forced to use that sharp stick you call a sword. Putting it that way, I think I have plenty to be worried about," KID growled the last part.

Shinichi smiled at the Sheikah. He gathered his courage up and gave KID a chaste kiss. He pulled back and was tomato red. KID chuckled at how cute Shinichi looked and gave him a kiss in return, although his kiss wasn't quite as pure. He wrapped his arms around Shinichi, pulling the hero closer and deepening the kiss. Shinichi shyly opened his lips allowing KID access. KID's tongue entered and Shinichi moaned into the kiss and wrapped his arms around the Sheikah's neck. KID finally pulled back, both panting for air. He kissed Shinichi's forehead before telling him, "Just be careful, okay?"

Shinichi smiled at him, arms still wrapped around the Sheikah's neck, "I promise to do my best. Now don't you have a new melody to teach me?"

KID sighed before reluctantly removing his arms from the hero. He pulled out his lyre while Shinichi took out his ocarina. "This melody is called the Requiem of Spirit. Use it to instantly transport yourself back here, even when you are a child." The song was peaceful and a bit sad. Like all of the other temple songs, it was beautiful, but this one spoke of the end of a long journey.

KID threw down a smoke bomb and was gone, but Shinichi could still feel the tickle of breath on his ear as the ninja whispered, "Please, be safe."

xXx

Shinichi played the Prelude of Light and returned to the Temple of Time. He placed the Master Sword back into the pedestal and suddenly felt very dizzy. He closed his eyes until the feeling passed. When he opened them again, he saw that he was a child again.

"This is amazing, Ai. I thought the Master Sword could only seal my soul until I was old enough to wield it, but it can send me back in time as well. I'm the same as I was before I pulled out the Master Sword," he told her in his squeaky, child voice.

Ai nodded, "And this time may be dangerous, but Gin will have only just attacked the castle. He hasn't spread his evil to the rest of Hyrule yet. It shouldn't be as dangerous here as it was in the future."

Shinichi nodded in agreement, "That's true, but I don't plan on sticking around. All I have to do is find the item in the Desert Colossus and then I can return to the future." He pulled out his ocarina. It looked massive in his tiny hands. He wondered if he would even have the finger span to play the Requiem of Spirit. He would have to make it work. He lifted the ocarina to his lips and played.

At the song's completion, he felt himself being transported back to the Desert Colossus. He made a move to go directly inside, but paused when he saw a cave. He knew he was supposed to go straight into the colossus and get the item, but curiosity won out. He walked inside in sighed in relief when he saw the familiar sight of a Fairy Fountain. He played Kaito's lullaby and a scantily clad woman appeared. "Hello young hero, I am the Great Fairy of Magic. I would like to give you a gift that will help you on your quest. Please accept my gift, it is called Nayru's Love. This magic spell will protect you for a short period of time. While under the influence of the spell, nothing can hurt you. But use it wisely, for it will drain much of your magic."

"Thank you, Great Fairy," Shinichi had time to tell her before she was gone. Shinichi left the cave and quickly made his way inside the Desert Colossus. Once inside however, he paused. There was someone already inside.

It was a blonde female Gerudo, and she was inspecting the hole he intended to climb through. He cautiously approached her and she turned around. She saw him and spoke, "I haven't seen you around here before, kid. What do you want?"

Shinichi considered his options. He really didn't know her, but the Gerudo he knew in the future tended to be hostile and lock men in prison. It would be best not to tell her the truth. He gave her a fake cheery smile and answered in a sugary sweet voice, "I don't want anything, ma 'am. I just wanted to look around. This place is really cool, don't you think?"

The Gerudo narrowed her eyes at him and grinned in return. He couldn't tell if she believed him or not, "You have nothing to do, you say? What good timing. How would you like to do me a favor?"

Shinichi cocked his head to the side, trying to look as innocent as possible, "A favor?"

"Wait, before I go more into detail, I have to ask you," she narrowed her eyes again, but this time she was frowning, "You wouldn't happen to be one of Gin's followers, would you?"

Before he could stop himself, Shinichi's eyes flashed in hatred. It was too late to fix his mistake, so he decided to answer truthfully, "No, I hate Gin."

The blonde Gerudo smirked, "Uh-huh. You've got guts, I like you. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Vermouth of the Gerudo. You may not know this, but Gin is also a Gerudo. I am nothing like him. Gin is ruthless, he stops at nothing to get what he wants, even if he has to kill those that stand in his way."

Shinichi wasn't hearing anything new so far, but what she said next peaked his interest, "A kid like you may not know this, but the Gerudo race consists only of women. Only one male is born every hundred years, all other newborns are female. Gerudo law states that the lone male is to become our king until the next male is born, but I do not care what our law says. I will never bow to him."

With this new information, the Gerudo's behavior in the future suddenly made sense. Hakuba had said that the Gerudo women would come to the village to find boyfriends. They _had_ to travel outside the desert for a boyfriend because they were a tribe of all women. He also said that Aoko would visit him until she was forced not to. That was the time when the Gerudo broke the bridge between Hyrule and the desert. Gin must have ordered them to stop, and as their king, the Gerudo had to listen. And he would have ordered them to be more hostile to Hylians because he didn't want anyone to cross the desert and get inside the Spirit Temple. It all made sense!

Vermouth interrupted his thoughts, "I have a favor to ask you. See this hole here? I need you to crawl through it and grab me an item called the Silver Gauntlets. The gauntlets are enchanted to make the wearer very strong, and the wearer can easily push and pull very heavy things. And don't even think about taking the treasure for yourself, the Silver Gauntlets won't fit a child like you anyways. So I want you to be a good little boy and give them to me. Gin and his followers are using the Spirit Temple as a hideout. With the Silver Gauntlets, I can sneak deep into the temple and mess up their plans. And if you give me the Silver Gauntlets, I will do something great for you in return."

Shinichi gave the Gerudo a big smile and replied, "Ok I sure will, lady! I'll get those Silver Got-lets for you so you can defeat the bad guy."

"Good boy," Vermouth cooed. She moved aside so that Shinichi could crawl through the hole.

Once she was behind him, Shinichi couldn't resist rolling his eyes. He got on his hands and knees and squeezed himself through the tiny hole in the wall.

Once he was through, he stood up straight and looked around. The Silver Gauntlets weren't anywhere in sight, instead there were a couple of spike traps and the couple Keese. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his old Slingshot, "I've missed this thing; it was my first dungeon item, remember Ai? It's too small for me when I'm an adult, not to mention my Longshot and Bow make it obsolete, but it still works great in this body." After he finished with the annoying bat enemies, he went through the next door.

As soon as he entered the new room, he came face to face with a Stalfos. The animated skeleton grinned as soon as it saw the child and it raised its sword high, "Shit, I don't remember Stalfos being so tall." He raised his own sword, which honestly was more like a dagger, and readied himself. The Stalfos threw back its head and laughed before attacking.

It was tough, but eventually Shinichi managed to defeat the skeleton. It took a lot longer than it would had he been in his adult body, his child body didn't have near the strength as his adult body. By the time he was done, he was panting heavily. Looking around, he still didn't see the item he was looking for, just another door.

The next couple of rooms were just as tough for Shinichi. The thing that really ticked him off was the knowledge that this mini quest for the gauntlets would probably be a piece of cake while he was an adult. Damn he hated feeling weak.

At one point he found himself in a huge room. Against one wall was a colossal size statue of what appeared to be a snake goddess. She was sitting with her legs crossed and had both of her arms out stretched, palms up to the ceiling. He could see multiple doors on higher levels, but none he could reach. There was only one door he could reach, aside from the one he just came through, so he had no choice but to take that one.

On the other side of the door was a long set of stairs going up. His short, child size legs groaned at the sight of all the stairs, but he forced himself to go forward. As he climbed, Ai spoke up, "These stairs are nice. Is that a velvet carpet? And look at those torches. Nice."

Shinichi answered, sounding a little thrown off by her comment, "What? Oh yeah, I guess it is. What about it?"

She replied as if it was obvious, "Well this is some forgotten temple in the middle of a giant pile of sand. So far, this entire place has been dusty, dirty, and not much attention paid to decoration. But these stairs look really nice. I think we may be getting close to something."

Shinichi nodded at her wise advice and continued up the stairs in silence.

At the top of the stairs was a throne room. The red carpet flowed in the room in an 'L' shape until it stopped at the large stone throne. Sitting in the throne was a very tall suit of armor.

Shinichi cautiously approached the throne, but it didn't move. Was it empty? He was within reach of the armor now and it still hadn't moved, so he did what anyone would do, he poked it with his sword.

The moment the sword had tapped the armor, it stood up and grabbed the two handed battle ax behind the throne. Ai made a noise like she had just remembered something, "Now I know what that it, it's called an Iron Knuckle. They are very hard to defeat because of their strong armor, not to mention that ax could easily cut you in half."

Shinichi snorted, "_Now_ you tell me." He jumped backward as the Iron Knuckle swung its ax. The force of swing drove the ax deep into the ground and the large behemoth paused to pull it out. Shinichi to advantage of this and sprang forward, sword ready. The sword simply made an annoying noise and bounced off. "This isn't going to work, I might as well use a butter knife, it will work just as well!" he growled.

Ai patiently replied, "It must have a weak point, you simply have to find it."

Shinichi circled around behind the Iron Knuckle and spotted something just as the armored enemy pulled its ax free, "That's it, it doesn't have any armor covering its back!"

Ai suddenly sounded panicked, "Shinichi, watch out!"

The Iron Knuckle turned and swung its ax down as hard as it could. Shinichi barely had time to react, but as soon as he heard Ai shout he released his magic. A blue barrier formed around Shinichi like a protective bubble and the ax bounced harmlessly off the blue wall. The not-child sighed in relief, "Good thing that last Great Fairy I met gave me the gift of Nayru's Love. Ow! Ai, stop it!"

Ai was tugging on his ear, "You idiot, you never tried using that spell before, you didn't even know it would work! Now is not the time to be experimenting with new spells!"

"Ok, ok I'm sorry," Shinichi yelled back. Ai released his ear just as the barrier disappeared. The Iron Knuckle raised its battle ax, but Shinichi was no longer there. It looked around confused until it felt Shinichi's small sword stab through its back. It dropped the ax and collapsed; it didn't move again.

The defeat of the Iron Knuckle seemed to trigger a hidden switch and a door behind the throne opened. Shinichi went through the door and found himself back outside the temple. He looked around and realized he was actually standing on the colossus statue's hand. In the palm of her hand was a treasure chest. Shinichi sighed in relief, "It's about time I found them." He opened the chest to find the Silver Gauntlets inside. They were too big for him, just as Vermouth said they would be.

"You told Vermouth you were going to give those Gauntlets to her. What are you going to do?" Ai questioned, sounding mildly curious.

"I'm not sure. I need these, but for the same reason she does, to defeat Gin. I know I promised her, but I also promised Prince Kaito…." Shinichi trailed off. It had been awhile since he had thought of the Prince. In this time, he still knew the prince, had recently seen him even. Was the prince still safe? Did he ever think about Shinichi, wondering when the small boy from the forest was going to save him?

A shout startled him from his musing, "Unhand me, you hags! Let me go!"

Shinichi looked around for the source of the voice. He looked down and could barely make out Vermouth on the ground far below him. It looked like she was slowly sinking through a portal. She wasn't alone; two small figures were flying around her, both riding on broomsticks. He couldn't see them very well, but something about them just felt…evil.

Vermouth cried out again, "Gin's minions, I should have realized you were spying on me. Shinichi, wherever you are, get out of here! These witches, their black magic is too strong." After those last words, she fully sank into the portal and the black hole disappeared. The two figures on broomsticks reentered the temple, unaware that Shinichi was watching from the palm of the colossus's hand.

Shinichi was quiet for awhile after the witches left. Finally Ai spoke up, "Shinichi, I know what you are thinking but there is nothing you can do. She is gone. You heard what she said, they were Gin's minions, and they took her. You don't know where they took her or even if she is still alive. The best you can do is return to being an adult and defeat Gin so that his evil ends."

As much as Shinichi hated to do it, he nodded in agreement and took out his Ocarina. He played the Prelude of Light, the happy melody sharply contrasting with his mood. He closed his eyes as he felt himself being transported to the Temple of Time. '_I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Vermouth.'_

xXx

Shinichi pulled the Master Sword from his pedestal. His world immediately went black and when his vision returned, he was an adult again. "Amazing," he couldn't help but murmur. He sheathed the sword and pulled his Ocarina back out again. He played the song quickly and as soon as his feet touched the sandy ground outside the Spirit Temple, he ran inside. This temple was taking far too long, he needed to get it over with.

He spared glance at the left side of the room. He saw the hole he crawled through as a child, the hole Vermouth was inspecting when he first saw her. Seven years had passed, but it looked exactly the same. He shook his head as if to free himself of the past thoughts and forced himself to look to the right this time, more specifically at the stone block in the wall.

The block was quite large, much taller than he was, and it looked very solid and heavy. It felt feather light when he picked it up, thanks to the Silver Gauntlets. He moved the block out of the way and went through the door that had been previously blocked.

He turned to his fairy with a smile, "It feels like I'm finally getting somewhere with this temple."

Ai hummed in agreement, "Next obstacle, to get through that." She nodded her head in the direction of the room.

Shinichi turned and saw what she was referring to. He let out of groan, "Great, a boulder-of-doom room. Well isn't that original." The room before him was a peculiar shape; it had two inclines on either wall giving the bottom half of the room a half cylinder shape. Spaced throughout the room were three large boulders, defiantly bone crushing size, rolling back and forth from one side of the room to the other. Getting to the door on the other side was simply a matter of timing, easy. There had to be more to it than that.

His eyes carefully scanned the room, and there he could see it now, along the room were five switches. He guessed he would have to hit the switches to get the door unlocked. Of course the switches were all strategically placed so that he would have to put himself in the boulders' paths to reach them. Well it was defiantly more challenging, but he could handle it as long as he paid attention.

He recognized the next room from the last time he was here as a child. He was once again in the room with the colossus Gerudo statue. This time, instead of seeing the statue from the ground as a small child, he was seeing it from a level higher and was now even with the statue's hands….and now that he was even with them he could see the Symbol of the Royal family in the left hand. He put on his Hover Boots and walked to the hand. After he played Kaito's Lullaby, another small chest appeared, this one also containing a small, silver key. Time to move on.

He progressed through the rest of the temple taking each room one by one until he saw something familiar again, a staircase with red velvet carpet. He followed the carpet up the stairs and found himself once again in a throne room. This one was an exact mirror of the other Iron Knuckle room he had been in. He looked at the throne and there he was, the Iron Knuckle, just like the last time. But this time, he was stronger. He pocked the Iron Knuckle awake and watched the heavily armored enemy stand. Funny, he didn't look so tall anymore. He easily dodged the Iron Knuckle's first swing and circled around behind it. One stab and the Iron Knuckle was done. Was it just his imagination or was everything easier as an adult?

He went through the door and found himself outside on the Colossus's hand again, this time he was on the left hand. A large chest was in the palm of the hand. "I guess the Silver Gauntlets aren't the only item to be found in this dungeon," he told Ai. He looked in and found a beautiful shield inside. The front was polished until it reflected like a mirror. Carved into the glass-like surface was a crescent moon.

Ai let out a low gasp, "That is a mirror shield. I've only heard of them, they are very rare. The obvious use for them would be to reflect light, but what many don't know is that they can absorb and reflect black magic."

"Black magic, huh?" Shinichi thought as he replayed Vermouth's words to him. She had mentioned some witches that used black magic, but that was seven years ago. Where they still here? Did Gin still use that as his base? He took his normal Hylian shield off and stuffed it into his pouch that held all of his other items. Even though the shield was more than twice the size of the pouch, it easily fit with room to spare. He equipped the new Mirror Shield and let it hang from his back until he needed it.

Shinichi went back into the temple and went through a new door. Now that he had the Mirror Shield, he gained access to more rooms that he couldn't previously get to. The way he unlocked the new paths was by reflecting light off of his shield and shining it on a specific spot. This would activate a switch and unlock a door. So far he had yet to absorb any black magic.

He knew he was almost at the end when he found what could only be the boss key. It was larger than the other keys he used in the temple and was gold with little jewels in the handle. Whatever beast had settled itself in the temple had very tacky taste.

Eventually he found himself in a large room directly above the colossus statue. The room was full of mirrors and there was a single light source coming from a window. A platform could be lowered so that he was level with the statue's face in the room down below. It took a bit of thinking, but eventually Shinichi figured out what he was suppose to do. He used all the mirrors in the room above to shine light down to the room below, the room with the colossus statue. Then he rode the platform down till he was level with the statue's face and used the mirror shield to reflect the sunlight onto the statue. He wasn't exactly sure why, but when the light hit the statue, the face melted off revealing a hidden door. He used his Longshot to get from the platform to the door. He wasn't surprised when he had to use the gold and jeweled key to unlock it. He opened the door ready to face what was on the other side.

When he entered the boss room, he saw three figures on the other side of the room. The two on the left and right were very small and were riding on broomsticks. He may not have gotten a good look at them before, but he knew that these two were the ones that kidnapped Vermouth. The figure in the middle was another Iron Knuckle. This one seemed different from the other two he fought, although he wasn't sure how.

Now that the witches were closer, Shinichi could better make out their appearances. They were almost identical, they had to be twins. Both had the signature tanned Gerudo skin, although age seemed to have dulled their skin to a sickly olive color. Their eyes were large and popped comically out of their skulls. A tuft of white hair stuck out of their head like someone had replaced their hair with the end of a broom. Both wore black robes with gold Gerudo symbols lining the bottom and sleeves. The only difference Shinichi could see between them was their jeweled headdress. One wore a large celeste blue jewel on her forehead while the other wore a scarlet jewel.

Ai narrowed her eyes, a look of disgust on her face, "I recognize those two now, they are Koume and Kotake, also known as the Twinrova Sisters. They are witches skilled in the arts of black magic."

Both sisters cackled in delight. The one with the red jewel sneered, "That's right little fairy, we are the Twinrova. And how dare you two trespass in our fortress. Maybe we should rip your wings for punishment. Fairy wings can be used in some of the more complex spells you know."

The one with the blue jewel spoke, "But first, we will take care of you, _hero_." She spat the word like it was an insult.

Both spoke at once now, "Oh loyal minion, take care of this pest on our behalf." They chanted the words, making it sound almost like a spell. The Iron Knuckle stood from its throne and the two sisters disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The armor enemy raised its ax high and laughed. Shinichi meanwhile rolled his eyes. If the first two heavily armored goons didn't finish him off, why did the Twinrova think _this_ one would?

Shinichi ducked an ax blow and circled around, ready to stab its weak spot….only to see there _was_ no weak spot. The straps that normally crisscrossed around the Iron Knuckles back were covered by a thick piece of armor.

"Shinichi, if you hit the armor where the joints are, you should be able to cut the straps that hold it together. Then you could hit the enemy that is hiding underneath the armor," Ai suggested.

The hero nodded and stabbed at the spots where the armor connected, slicing through leather straps and ducking the occasional ax swing. With one final cut, the armor began to fall away, revealing the enemy that was underneath. The person inside collapsed onto her hands and knees and all Shinichi could see was a shock of blonde hair. Then she stood and Shinichi gasped, "Vermouth?"

The rebellious Gerudo slowly got to her feet. Her eyes were wide with confusion, "Where am I?"

Before Shinichi could answer, the witch with the blue jewel suddenly appeared on Vermouth's left, "It looks like she is back to normal, Koume." Vermouth's head whipped around to stare at her.

The red jewel wearing witch appeared on Vermouth's right, "She's just a little girl, but she commands so much respect from the Gerudo people, Kotake." Vermouth's head spun to look at the other witch. She was clearly confused. The one with the red jewel spoke again, "Maybe we should make her work for the great Gin just a little longer."

The blue jewel witch chuckled in delight, "Then we should brainwash her again! Ho ho ho!"

Shinichi shouted at the two, "You aren't brainwashing anybody! Run, Vermouth." He raised his sword. Vermouth looked in confusion at Shinichi for a moment before deciding to follow his advice. She had only made it three steps closer to the door before both sisters raised a boney finger and pointed it at the young Gerudo. Vermouth disappeared.

Shinichi turned in anger to the Twinrova, but they spun on the spot and disappeared as well. "Dammit!" Shinichi shouted.

Ai tried to reassure her companion, "We'll rescue her, Shinichi. Don't worry. Let's go."

Shinichi nodded but didn't answer. He went through the door that was behind the throne and walked into the Twinrovas' lair.

It looked like the lair of any of the other final enemies in the other temple. High ceilings, a raised platform for fighting (because evil villains hated fighting on the ground, so it would seem), but this one had not one final enemy, but two. Shinichi could see them flying in slow circles around the ceiling. They mocked him, "Look at the stupid kid, he came on his own to offer himself as a sacrifice to the great Gin."

The one with the red jewel flew closer and looked right at Shinichi, "With my flame, I will burn him to the bone." Her hair erupted into flames.

The one with the blue jewel copied her sister, "With my frost, I will freeze him to his soul." Her hair was replaced by a sheet of solid ice.

Shinichi called up to the two witches, "Why are you so loyal to Gin? Who cares if he is the only male of your tribe, he is an evil madman!"

The Twinrova laughed and the red jeweled with called down to him, "We are not loyal to Gin because he is our king."

The one with the blue jewel continued, "We are loyal to him because he is our son."***

Both spoke once, "And we couldn't be more proud."

Shinichi made a face between disgust and confusion, "How are you both…never mind, I really don't want to know." The two sisters circled around Shinichi staying well out of his reach on their brooms. Shinichi tried to keep track of them both lest one of them snuck up behind him. "Any idea, Ai?" he asked.

"The Master Sword should do plenty of damage to them, if you could reach them. Otherwise, they are immune to anything except their own magic. You have to turn their powers against each other.

For a moment, Shinichi didn't understand what she meant, until he remembered his Mirror Shield's other ability. The ice witch raised her hand and summoned a beam of ice and shot it at Shinichi. The hero raised his shield just in time and was pleased when the beam harmlessly bounced off the polished surface. He aimed and was able to direct the beam to the other sister. The fire witch screamed in pain and anger. Shinichi smirked in triumph.

"Don't smirk at us, foolish child. How about you try a taste of my flame," she shouted before sending a jet of flame at him. Shinichi shook his head, '_She didn't learn anything.'_ He raised his shield and deflected the fire back at her other sister. This time, it was the ice witch that screamed in pain.

Both sisters gritted their teeth in anger. The fire witch spoke to her sister, "This isn't working, let's get serious, Koume."

The ice witch looked at her sister in surprise, "Against this shrimp? If you think it's necessary than I will, Kotake."

The witches flew toward each other, but instead of crashing into each other, they seemed to melt together and become one. The new, singular form was of a tall woman, she had to be at least a couple inches taller than he was. She looked very young and almost attractive, unlike the withered hags that were previously facing off against him. The black robes of the Twinrova were replaced by a stylish pair of desert pants and a small shirt that left her stomach bare. The only sign that she had once been Koume and Kotake were the high pigtails she wore, one was made of fire the other of ice, and the hybrid jewel on her forehead, half red and half blue.

She winked at Shinichi who shuddered in a mix of fear and disgust. Shinichi muttered to himself, "Oh, _that's_ how they are both his mother."

The Twinrova sent a beam of ice at the hero. He raised his shield, but rather than deflecting it, the shield absorbed the icy spell. He could hear a low hum coming from the Mirror Shield. Ai called out to him, "She may be one singular being, but you will fight her the same way as you did the twin sisters. Absorb some of her magic in your shield, and once your shield is powered up, use her own magic against her."

The Gerudo sent another attack at him, this time fire. He tried to absorb it once again, the magic seemed to be repelled by something. He also noticed that the humming stopped. _'I guess I can't mix the elemental spells,'_ Shinichi thought to himself.

She began to send more fire spells at him. He absorbed the first two spells and when she sent an ice spell his way, rather than absorbing it, he dodged instead. Once his shield had absorbed three fire spells, he released the fire back at the witch. The jet of flame hit the Gerudo witch and she cried out in pain.

The Twinrova sent another beam of ice at him, but this time she was aiming for the ground in front of him. The moment the ice spell hit the ground, it spread and encased his ankle in ice, freezing it in place. Shinichi hissed in pain and broke the ice off with his sword.

From that moment on, the witch aimed for his feet rather than directly at him. The ice spread on the ground and froze him where he stood while the fire heated the ground till it was too hot to stand on. Shinichi was forced to not only catch the spells in his shield, but he also had to keep track of what spells he was absorbing so that he didn't mix the two. It wasn't the hardest fight he ever had, but it was possibly the most complicated.

Finally, the witch seemed too weak to handle any more of her magic turned against her. She let out a final scream and lay still.

xXx

Shinichi found himself once again in the Chamber of Sages; in front of him stood a familiar Gerudo. "Vermouth, you're okay," Shinichi smiled in relief.

She returned the smile, "Yes, I am. And let me thank you, kid. Hehehe, I can't believe I met you seven years ago and you were just some little kid. Look at you now; you have grown up to be quite the competent swordsmen."

Vermouth continued, "By the way, I really messed up. I was brainwashed by those evil witches and forced to do Gin's will. But isn't it funny that a person like me could turn out to be the Sage of Spirit?"

Shinichi frowned, "Vermouth, the witches brainwashing you wasn't your fault. And no, I'm not surprised that you would be the Sage of Spirit. I remember when I met you how strong you were, and how much courage you had for standing up to Gin, the king of your people. I don't think I can imagine anyone better to be the last sage."

Vermouth's features softened, "Thank you, and I suppose you are right. Now that I am one of the six sages, I can lend you my power and help you fight Gin. Instead of granting you that favor I promised you seven years ago, I want you to have this, the Medallion of Spirit. It is the last medallion of the sages, and with it you can finally face Gin. Just remember, you won't be alone. You have the power of six sages behind you."

After she finished speaking, the young Gerudo raised her arms and summoned the Spirit Medallion. Shinichi raised his arms to receive it. The medallion was a burnt gold color and reminded him of the desert sands. On the side opposite of the Triforce was what looked like two tadpoles chasing each others' tails.

Shinichi felt himself going back, but he was still able to hear Vermouth's last words to him, "If only I had known you would become such a handsome young man...I should have kept the promise I made back then."

xXx

I'm sorry everyone, I wanted to make KID and Hakuba meet so that I could make KID get pissed and dye Hakuba's hair pink, but I just couldn't figure out how to squeeze it in! I promise I tried!

Writing the kiss scene between Shinichi and KID was really hard for me. I fear what it says about me that I can write dirty scenes (in my other fanfic) but I have trouble writing a simple kiss scene. Do it feel awkward to anyone else or was that just me?

*= I guess technically he should have introduced himself as Saguru, but I always liked his last name more. I'm not really sure how to pronounce Saguru, but it my mind, it sounds like Cigar. Yuck :P

**= Valerian plants are real. They are one of the most renowned plants used in light tranquilizers. But…I'm not sure it would instantly put someone asleep like Hakuba's roots did. That's just for the story.

***= In the game, it is true that the Twinrova are Ganondorf's (the bad guy) mother. I think I pointed it out before, but I will say it again. Nintendo is fucked up.

This chapter was super long and very hard to write, so I would appreciate some lovins. Please, send me some reviews.


	10. The Final Battle

Ok guys, we are really close to the end now. This is the last chapter as far as the real story goes, but after this chapter there will be an epilogue that is completely my own idea. I just want to make sure that is clear.

Thank you everybody for reading, and remember to review.

xXx

Shinichi left the desert behind and had returned to Hyrule Field where he was now discussing his next plan of action with Ai, his fairy companion. He stopped when the field started fading out of focus and suddenly he was looking at Agasa, the Sage of Light. He blinked a couple of times in confusion. He wasn't _really_ in the Chamber of Sages, this was just a vision.

Agasa spoke impatiently, "Shinichi, at last all of us sages have been awakened. The time for the final showdown with the King of Evil has arrived. But before that, you should meet the one that has been waiting for you, the one that is waiting for you at the Temple of Time."

After he finished speaking, Agasa raised his arms and allowed the vision to leave the Hero. Shinichi was once again looking at the rolling, grassy hills of Hyrule. He turned to look at the little fairy, "Ai, we have to go to the Temple of Time. I think that Prince Kaito might be waiting for me there."

Ai didn't have time to reply, Shinichi has already set off for the temple at a run. She flapped her tiny wings and tried her best to keep up.

Shinichi finally stopped at the temples doors. He stood with his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath. A moment later, Ai finally caught up. She landed lightly on his shoulder and smacked his ear. "Ah, what was that for?" he grumbled.

She retorted, "If you had waited for me to answer, I could have told you to teleport using the Prelude of Light."

Shinichi's cheeks turned pink, "Oh, right. I forgot about that. Well we are here now, let's go inside."

He slowly entered the Temple of Time. He could see someone was in there, but he or she was standing in the shadows and he couldn't see who it was.

"I have been waiting for you, Shinichi," the person stepped forward revealing themselves. It was KID. Shinichi's stomach dropped with disappointment while his heart soared with joy at seeing the ninja. It was a very uncomfortable feeling. KID at least seemed happy to see him. He gave Shinichi a warm smile and slowly began walking to the hero. As he walked, he began speaking again, "You have awakened the six sages, and now you are ready to face Gin. But before that, I have things I want to tell you. Please listen carefully."

KID continued, "Another unknown legend of the Triforce passed down by the Shadow Folk, the Sheikahs….'If you seek the sacred triangle, listen well. The resting place of the sacred triangle, the Sacred Realm, is a mirror that reflects what is in the heart, the heart of the one that enters it. If an evil heart, the realm will become full of evil; if a pure heart, the realm will become a paradise. The Triforce, the Sacred Triangle, it is a balance that weighs the three forces: power, wisdom, and courage. If the heart of the one who holds the Triforce has all three forces in balance, that one will gain the True Force to govern all. But if that one's heart is not in balance, the Triforce will separate into three parts: power, wisdom, and courage. Only one part will remain for the one who touched the Triforce... the part representing the force that one most believes in. If that one seeks the True Force, that one must acquire the two lost parts. Those two parts will be held within others chosen by destiny, who will bear the Triforce mark on the back of their hands."

KID paused so that Shinichi could catch up. Shinichi had a calculating look on his face, "That's a lot to take in, but I think I understand. Only a balanced person can successfully seek the Triforce, otherwise the Triforce will split. The person that touches the Triforce will gain one of the three parts, the part they believe in most. The other two parts will go to two others, and those two will gain a mark on the back of their hands to represent that they have a Triforce part." KID nodded in approval. He had stopped walking sometime during his speech. He was much closer to Shinichi, a little more than an arm length away.

KID had more to tell, "Seven years ago, Gin used the door you opened in the Temple of Time and entered the Sacred Realm. But when he laid his hands on the Triforce, the legend came true. The Triforce separated into three parts, only the Triforce of Power remained with the evil Gin. The strength of the Triforce of Power enabled him to become a mighty, evil king, but his dark ambitions were not satisfied. To gain complete mastery of the Triforce, Gin began looking for 'Those Chosen by Destiny' to hold the other two parts."

Shinichi suddenly interrupted, "Than I must find them! Whoever they are, they are in danger. Gin cannot find them, I must protect them."

KID gave Shinichi a steady look, "There is no need for I already know who the other two are. The one holding the Triforce of Courage, it is you Shinichi. And the one who holds the Triforce of Wisdom is the Seventh Sage, the one destined to lead them all."

Shinichi had been somewhat surprised to hear that he was the holder of the Triforce of Courage, but when KID mentioned a Seventh Sage, his expression changed to one of confusion, "Seventh Sage? The one to lead them all?"

Instead of answering, KID raised his hands in front of his face, one pointing up to the ceiling, and the other crossing it vertically. Shinichi noticed for the first time the symbol of the Triforce on the back of KID gloveless hand. The symbol began to glow, the golden light growing brighter until it engulfed everything, than it slowly began to fade.

When Shinichi could see again, standing in the spot were KID once stood was a man Shinichi didn't immediately recognize, though he did look familiar. His brown hair was a mess, as if it defied every hair brush, but somehow it looked styled and complimented his face. His expression managed to be nervous, apologetic, and heartwarming all at once. He was good-looking in the way that some men were beautiful rather than handsome. His broad shoulders saved him from looking to feminine. As soon as Shinichi saw his eyes, he froze. They were a deep blue with a hint of indigo, but their stunning color wasn't what startled him, it was the fact that he recognized those eyes. He was use to seeing them peeking out from behind a turban and cowl.

The beautiful man with KID's eyes spoke, "The one who holds the Triforce of Wisdom is I, the Prince of Hyrule, Kaito"

Shinichi's jaw dropped, and he made a couple strange gurgling noises. Prince Kaito kept silent, intending to give Shinichi a moment to collect himself. The legend of the Triforce was a lot to take in; throwing the prince thing in was enough to push Shinichi over the edge. And oh my god, did that mean Shinichi had been kissing the Prince of Hyrule?

When Shinichi seemed okay, the prince began speaking again, "Shinichi, I'm sorry for meeting you in disguise, for not telling you who I was, but it was necessary. I had to hide from Gin, but I also had to investigate the legends of the Triforce, and I also knew you would need someone to guide you on your quest to awaken the sages."

The hero shocked the prince when he suddenly threw himself into the prince's arms. Kaito barely caught the hero in his surprise. Shinichi mumbled into the prince's white, silk tunic, "I'm so glad you are okay. Seven years ago, when I saw you ride off like that…and Gin was looking for you…than I fall asleep and awaken seven years later and Hyrule looks like hell…I was so worried." He trailed off. Kaito simply held him close, giving as much comfort as he could. After a moment, Shinichi realized that he was clinging to the Prince of Hyrule. He blushed and moved to pull away, but Kaito tightened his grip.

"I'm sorry Shinichi, I know you were worried. I wanted to let you know I was alright, but Gin's spies are everywhere. I couldn't risk them finding out. Please forgive me," he placed a gentle kiss on Shinichi's temple.

Shinichi smiled when he felt Kaito's lips on his skin, but in the back of his mind, an ugly thought surfaced. KID was actually Kaito, the _Prince_. Kaito was royalty while Shinichi was a commoner. That wasn't too big of an issue, it was rare for royalty to marry commoners, but it did still happen. No, what really worried Shinichi was the fact that they were both male. '_I cannot produce Kaito an heir,'_ he thought sadly. There was no way the people of Hyrule would accept his relationship with Kaito when he was both a commoner and male. Shinichi felt his eyes beginning to burn as he realized that his relationship with his boyfriend had no future.

"Shinichi, please don't cry. I'm sorry for lying to you for so long. I never meant to hurt you," Kaito looked on the verge of tears himself. He held Shinichi close and rested his chin in the hero's hair. Shinichi couldn't help the small sob that escaped.

"That's not why I'm sad, your highness," Shinichi began.

"Kaito. Call me Kaito," the prince corrected.

Shinichi let out something between a sob and a chuckle, "That's not why I am sad, Kaito. I understand why you pretended to be KID, the Sheikah. There is nothing to forgive."

Kaito frowned in confusion, "Than why?"

Shinichi bit his lip, "Because…I think I love you, Kaito."

Kaito sucked in his breath as his eyes widened. He pulled Shinichi far enough away that he could look the hero in the eyes, "You mean it? But why would that be something that makes you cry? Shinichi, I have loved you since the day I met you seven years ago." He chuckled to himself, "I know it might sound crazy, our first meeting was very brief, but it's true. I love you, Shinichi. I always have."

For a moment, Shinichi forgot to breath, "You love me?" For a second, his eyes shined with pure happiness, but then it was gone and replaced with sadness again, "But that's even worse! We can't love each other! We are both men, I will never be able to produce you an heir." He ripped himself out of Kaito's embrace. He raised his arms in a wide sweeping gesture, "What about your kingdom? They will never accept our relationship."

Kaito raised his hand and reached for Shinichi, "Shinichi…" He stopped speaking when a loud rumbling noise interrupted him. It sounded like the very earth was being torn in half. It looked like all of the blood had drained from his face, "That rumbling…it can't be…"

The two looked around in confusion. Shinichi heard Kaito gasp in surprise; he turned and saw that Kaito was completely encased in a large blue crystal. Shinichi ran forward and began knocking his fists on the outside. Kaito raised his own hands and pressed them against the walls that held him, Shinichi noticed that the prince looked a little scared. The knowledge made him beat against the crystal harder, but the walls held firm.

Shinichi heard a cold voice echoing through the Temple of Time. He only gave it half his attention while a tried desperately to break Kaito out of the crystal cage. Gin laughed, "Prince Kaito, I must say I am impressed. You managed to evade me for seven years, but at last I have caught you." Shinichi heard Kaito gasp as if in pain, and then his eyes rolled into the back of his head before his lids closed. He was clearly unconscious. The crystal rose high in the air and Gin laughed again, "My only mistake was that I slightly underestimated the power of this kid…no…it was not the kid's power that I misjudged, it was the power of the Triforce of Courage. But now I have the Triforce of Wisdom, and when I combine these two Triforces, then I will become the true ruler of Hyrule. Kid, if you wish to rescue your prince, come to my castle. Although I warn you, you cannot defeat me!" Gin laughed some more until his voice faded away and Shinichi was left alone.

xXx

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Shinichi screamed in rage as he kicked and punched at the nearest temple wall.

Ai waited patiently while Shinichi yelled. He was too angry, he would be useless in a fight right now, so she waited. Once he calmed down, then would they rescue the prince. "Stupid prince, doesn't he realize he it's the _princess_ that gets kidnapped?"

Shinichi yelled and kicked for another minute more until he turned to Ai. He took a moment to catch his breath before he spoke, "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go defeat Gin and save Prince Kaito."

He was almost at the temple doors when Agasa sent him another vision, "Shinichi, Gin has put up strong barrier around the door that leads to him. You will not be able to get past the door until it is taken down. We six sages can remove the barrier, but you must first destroy the six energy threads that are feeding it. We will send you a gift that will help you destroy the energy threads. Good luck, Shinichi."

The vision faded and Shinichi noticed his quiver felt a little heavier than normal. He pulled it off his back and inspected it. Inside the quiver were golden arrows. He could feel power radiating off them in waves.

Ai spoke up from her spot on his shoulder, "Those are Light Arrows. They are pure and very powerful. Evil doesn't stand a chance against them. Shinichi?" She looked up at the hero.

Shinichi was smiling, but rather then looking happy, it made him look terrifying. He let out a small chuckle that sent chills up Ai's spine, "I'm going to lodge one of these arrows past Gin's eye and into his brain. He is going to pay for everything he has done."

Ai wisely stayed silent.

Shinichi exited the Temple of Time and made his way through the town outside of the castle. He avoided the Redeads that still walked the town and made his way to the path that led to Hyrule Castle. Seven years ago, green grass surrounded the path, the sky was a beautiful blue, birds could be heard singing, even the dirt making up the path was a pleasant brown color. Today, everything looked dead. Everywhere he looked, he only saw the same ash gray color. The sky was full of black clouds that churned angrily around the castle. He followed the path to the castle and sucked in his breath when he was the stone building. The entire structure had been removed from the earth and was floating in mid air. Beneath the castle instead of normal ground, a large hole took its place. At the bottom of the hole was orange lava that spiraled downward in a slow moving whirlpool. As he stared down at it, he felt like he was being pulled in, and an overwhelming feeling of dread rose up in him. He tore his eyes away and instantly the feeling left him.

"How do I get to the castle?" he questioned the fairy.

She mulled over an answer, but the sages beat her to it. In the back of his mind, he felt them concentrate their power, and a beautiful bridge suddenly appeared in front of him. It didn't look to be made of materials of this world. It was one continuous structure, not like many bricks coming together to form a bridge, but more like a smooth piece of glass. It was always clear like glass, but shown in a rainbow of colors when seen in the right light. He eagerly crossed the bridge and went inside the castle that Gin had taken.

An obnoxiously long highway led him to the main room. The moment he walked into the large room, he immediately saw the barrier the sage Agasa was talking about. In the middle of the room was a door that most likely would take him up a spiral stair case straight to Gin's headquarters. The doorway looked like a fanged demon, the door itself being the demon's mouth so that when you went through it, the illusion was that the person was being eaten. A violet transparent wall blocked the doorway, that would be the barrier. Shinichi looked up and could see threads of power that fed the barrier. He followed the threads with his eyes and saw that each one led to a separate door that circled around the room. He counted six threads, six doors, in total. Kaito was waiting, best get started.

He chose the first door to his right. The thread that came from this door was green in color and above the door was a symbol that looked like the medallion of the Sage of the Forest. On the other side of the door , there was no floor but only a very long drop, the bottom of which he could not see. Stone platforms dotted around the room and he could see buttons also placed around the room. Across the room, the door was locked with bars over it. Past experience told him that he would have to push all of the buttons to unlock the door.

Getting from platform to platform, button to button, might have been a challenge if he didn't have the Hover Boots, but fortunately he did. He simply put on the boots and walked to each platform pressing the buttons as he did so. He knew that the boots temporarily allowed him to walk through thin air, but he still avoided looking down when he did so, as if afraid that the magic would somehow break if he were to do so.

It only took maybe two minutes and then he had pressed every button. The bars raised from the door and he was allowed access into the next room. Inside was yet another strange site, but he was starting to become immune to those. The room was small; it only held a single copper colored ball that floated high in the air. It pulsed like a heart and the green thread was coming from the ball. Shinichi somehow thought that it looked disgusting. He strung a Light Arrow to his bow, pulled back, and released. The arrow sailed to the copper ball and pierced it. Shinichi thought he heard a tiny scream coming from it, but he couldn't be sure. The thread of energy stopped flowing and the ball simply hung in midair for a moment before it shattered.

As soon as the ball was gone, Ran appeared before him. She was floating where the ball was. "The Forest Barrier is dispelled, hurry and break the rest Shinichi, Kaito is waiting!" he yelled at him. She raised her arms high above her head and was gone. In her place was a bright green light.

Shinichi didn't need to be told twice. He left the way he came and went through the next door to face the next thread. This one had a red thread and the symbol of the Fire Sage above the door. As soon as he entered, he was assaulted by a wave of intense heat. The floor was covered in fire and numerous torches were placed throughout the room. He removed his normal tunic and pulled on his heat resistant tunic that he wore when he faced the Fire Temple. He was met with instant relief.

In the middle of the lava floated a long platform that zigzagged about the room. He jumped from the door to the platform and immediately, that platform began to sink into the lava. He looked around and saw smaller platforms dotted around the large on, each one holding a button. He jumped to the nearest one and pressed the first button. The long platform he was previously on stopped sinking and started rising up out of the lava again, but the small platform he was on now started sinking instead. He let out a groan of annoyance.

He jumped back onto the large platform and tried to ignore the fact that it was sinking, slowly lowering into the lava that even his tunic couldn't protect him from. He ran around the long platform and jumped to the next small platform and pressed the button. He jumped from the small, sinking platform back onto the large, sinking platform. This pattern continued until he pressed all five buttons. He jumped from the large platform to the door, which thankfully didn't sink. He entered to find another pulsing copper ball. Instead of green, this one had a red thread coming from it. He happily strung his arrow and shot it at the ball.

Once again the ball exploded and once it did, King Hattori appeared floating in the spot where the ball had been. "What are ya waiting for! Yur boyfriend's waiting, go!" Hattori all but yelled at Shinichi. Shinichi ignored the blush that threatened to creep up his cheeks (How the hell did he know? Was the King stalking him or something?) and left for the next door. Behind him, a red ball of light floated where the copper ball had been.

The next room had the symbol of the Water Sage above the door, and the thread that fed the barrier was of course blue in color. Inside the door, everything was frozen over and it looked very much like the ice cavern where he had found the Iron Boots.

The first room was simple enough, he simple had to defeat to Freezards, enemies made completely of ice, that were guarding a torch of blue fire. He bottled the blue fire and took it to the door that was being protected by red ice. He dumped the blue fire onto the unnaturally colored ice and it melted revealing a door behind it. On the other side of the door, the floor was covered in ice, making his footing very slippery. There were also two large blocks, which he noted would probably be of use to open the next door. He looked around, and sure enough, he saw a high platform with a switch on top of it. He tried pushing one of the blocks over to it, but as soon as he put pressure on it, the block easily slid away from him on the icy floor. He continued sliding until it hit a small rock. He frowned in realization, it was a puzzle. If he pushed the block, it would slide on the slick floor until it was stopped by something. He would have to use the rocks throughout room and push the block into them until he could push it to the platform. It took a moment of thought, and then he figured out where he should push the block. He reached the switch and unlocked the final door in the Water barrier room.

He was very much use to the pattern by now. He shot a Light Arrow at the copper ball and Sonoko appeared. "Hello my ex-fiancé! The Water Barrier is dispelled so get out of here and save that sexy prince of yours" she yelled. This time Shinichi did blush. Did everyone know about his relationship with the prince? He ignored his blush and went for the next room; he had more important things to worry about than his own embarrassment.

Shinichi took a moment to look at the violet barrier that protected the door to Gin's room. Was it just his imagination or did it look weaker? Three more threads to go, can't stop now.

The next thread came from the Shadow Barrier. The first room was very dark and random skulls engulfed in lime green fire flew about the room. He didn't see any path to the door across the room so he looked through the Lens of Truth. Through the lens he could see a winding path that led from one side of the room to the other. Well that took care of how he was going to get to the door, but what about opening it? He looked around some more and noticed a switch on a platform to his left. Another invisible path led to the switch.

He carefully walked across the thin path to the platform. Once there, he pressed the switch and the bars rose from the door across the room. As soon as the switch lowered, he heard a slow ticking noise coming from the switch. He was puzzled until he stared at the switch and realized it was slowly rising back up again. It looked like he only had a small amount of time to make it across the room.

He raised his Lens of Truth and made his way across the twisting invisible paths as quickly and cautiously as he could. It wasn't easy, the paths weren't very wide and they twisted and turned about the room. One wrong step and he would fall to his death. He somehow made it to the other side and through the door. The last room had the copper ball that was producing a purple thread, the thread that fed the barrier. He shot the Light Arrow and once it was gone, Jii appeared. "The Shadow Barrier is dispelled. Hero, please save Prince Kaito," Jii told Shinichi. A purple ball of light took Jii's place.

The next room had the symbol of the Sage of Spirit above it. He walked through the door and faced the first room. It was full of moving spike traps that moved left to right. They moved until they hit something, than changed directions. Underneath the paths that the moving spike traps took were switches, but he couldn't press them without getting hit by a trap. Shinichi found a large stone statue and used it to block the spike traps path. Without the threat of the traps, he could press the switches. It was time consuming moving the statue, but he had no choice.

Once he had pressed all of the buttons, he was allowed access to the next door. This one had a small sun statue that hung on the wall. Its eyes were closed and it was frowning. Shinichi thought for a moment, but when he looked up, he noticed a hole in the ceiling. Thins beams of sunlight were trying to shine through, but a thick layer of webs blocked them. Shinichi notched a Fire Arrow** to his bow and shot the thick webs. The fire burnt the webs away and the sunlight was free to shine through the hole into the room. Shinichi used his Mirror Shield to reflect the sunlight at the sun hanging on the wall. As soon as the light hit it, the sun statue opened its eyes and smiled. The door in the room unlocked.

The final room had the floating ball that produced the energy thread. He shot the ball and Vermouth appeared. She raised her arms and spoke to Shinichi impatiently, "The Spirit Barrier is gone. Go, kid, go!"

Shinichi just had one final thread to break, the Light Barrier. The first room was empty, but the door he needed to go through was still locked. He was puzzled until he decided to look around with the Lens of Truth. Once he was looking through the lens, he saw a large Skulltula, a giant spider enemy, in the middle of the room. He defeated it easily and once he did, the bars raised from the door. In the next room, he simply had to play Kaito's Lullaby to unlock the door. Honestly, was Gin even trying anymore?

Shinichi entered the door that held the copper ball, but it was empty. There was no copper ball or energy thread, and there was no more doors. He felt himself beginning to panic. Kaito was being held captive by Gin _right now_ and he was _so close_ to breaking the barrier and getting to him, and then this happened. Ai sensed his growing panic, "Shinichi, just breath. Now think, this must be a trick. How do you solve it? Think."

Shinichi followed her advice. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened them again and pulled out the Lens of Truth. He looked through the lens and saw that one of the walls was false. Through the lens, he saw it for what it really was, a door. He went through and found himself facing the last copper ball. He shot it with a Light Arrow and Agasa, the Sage of Light appeared. "The Light Barrier, the final barrier, is gone. Go Shinichi, we have already taken care of the barrier guarding the door to Gin's Chambers. Go!"

xXx

Shinichi climbed up the spiral stairs going higher and higher. Sometimes the stairs took him to rooms that had semi-strong enemies within them, but Shinichi was so focused on getting past them and rescuing Kaito, that they might as well have been regular, boring Keese for all the trouble they gave him. The rooms would lead back to the stair case and he would continue climbing. It was a good thing he was use to walking all over Hyrule or else his calves would be exhausted by now.

At long last he made it to Gin's chambers. The room was large and beautifully decorated. Gin had his back to him and was playing a large pipe organ. Above Gin's head floated Kaito. He was still unconscious and still trapped in his crystal prison. Before Shinichi could make his way to either of them, he felt his hand growing warm. He pulled off his glove and glanced at it curiously. The Triforce mark on his hand was glowing. He looked up and saw the Triforce on Kaito's hand was glowing as well, and he was willing to bet all of the Rupees in the world that Gin's was also glowing.

Gin addressed Shinichi but he didn't turn or stop playing, "The Triforce parts are resonating. They are combining into one once again. Finally, all of the Triforce parts are gathered here. The two Triforce parts that I failed to obtain seven years ago, I never expected that they would hide themselves in you two. It is fate that we three are the ones to obtain the pieces of the Triforce, and it is fate that we are all together like this. And now, finally, I will obtain the last two Triforce parts making me the true ruler of Hyrule!"

Gin rose from the bench he had been sitting on and he finally turned. He looked tall and threatening in his black armor and there was a crazy glint in his eyes. He smiled wide making him look even more insane. He raised a hand and sent a wave of dark energy at Shinichi. The dark wave felt almost like something physical that was pushing him back, and his sensitivity caused him to feel like he was going to lose the contents of his stomach.

Shinichi heard Ai, he was flying slightly above him, give a small moan of pain and then she began to fall to the floor. "Ai!" He yelled in concern and he caught the tiny fairy in the palm of his hand.

Ai weakly answered, "I'm sorry Shinichi, the dark waves are too much for me. I won't be able to help you in this battle. I'm sorry." She coughed weakly a couple times.

Shinichi tried smiling for her, but he knew he was too concerned to manage it, "Don't worry, I can face him on my own. Are you going to be okay?"

She managed a tiny smile for him, "I'll be fine as soon as I get away from those dark waves. I'm just so tired right now."

Shinichi did smile this time, "Well I'm going to set you down in a corner far away from Gin and me. While we fight, you take yourself a well deserved nap. By the time you wake up, Gin will be gone for good and Hyrule will be safe again."

Ai smiled and allowed her eye lids to close. Shinichi took her to a far corner in the room and removed his green hat. He laid the hat on the floor and gently lowered her to the floor using the hat as a small bed for her.

He straightened and saw that Gin was watching him in amusement. He noticed Shinichi watching and his manic smile widened, "I could have killed you by now, but I decided to wait until you were finished with your fairy. I want to show you that even with the Triforce of Courage, you still aren't strong enough to defeat me. And once I finish with you, I'm going to kill Kaito and that stupid fairy of your as well."

Shinichi growled and raised his sword. Gin laughed and began to float in the air out of Shinichi's reach. Gin summoned a ball of lightening and threw it at the hero. Shinichi used his sword to knock it back at him. The deadly ping pong game continued until finally Gin was to slow and was hit by his own lightening ball. He was momentarily stunned and Shinichi had enough time to him with a light arrow. The purity of the arrow was too much for the evil man and Gin sank to the floor. Shinichi ran to him and began viciously attacking him with his sword. Unfortunately Gin was able to block any attacks to his head and his black armor protected his body for any serious injuries. Still, armor or no armor, Shinichi knew that the blows at least hurt.

Once Gin had a moment to breath, he rose into the air again. He flew to Shinichi with a raised fist and brought it down in a mighty punch. Shinichi barely managed to jump out of the way and Gin's face connected with the stone underneath them. The force of Gin's punch sent the shock wave through the ground knocked Shinichi off his feet. Gin tried another lightening ball, but Shinichi rolled till he was sitting on his butt and knocked the ball back at the man in black. Gin was taken off guard by Shinichi's quick reflexes and he once again failed to block his lightening attack. Shinichi shot another light arrow at Gin and the man screamed in pain and anger.

Gin floated high into the air and raised both his hands. He summoned a very large ball of lightening and threw it at Shinichi. The hero rolled his eyes, didn't Gin realize his lightening attacks ended up back firing on him? The lightening ball flew at Shinichi and suddenly split into five smaller balls. Shinichi eyes widened and each lightening ball hit him from a different direction. Shinichi screamed in pain and fell to his knees in pain.

He could hear Gin approaching him, and he tired to move, but he couldn't do it. The five lightening balls had numbed his body and he felt paralyzed. It hurt just to breathe. Gin was closer now. He really needed to move, but his body simply refused. Gin was really close now, and Shinichi knew he was going to die. He didn't want to die, he needed to save Hyrule. Who would protect the Kokiri until the Great Deku Sprout grew up to be a mighty tree? Who would make sure the Dodongo's stayed in line? Who would make sure Princess Sonoko didn't kidnap herself for attention? Who would keep an eye on the well in Kakariko Village? Who would protect the Gerudo from being ruled by corrupt, evil leaders?

Who would save Kaito?

Shinichi's eyes flew open and he raised his sword and stabbed forward. His brain caught up with what his eyes were trying to tell him and he realized he had stabbed through Gin's armor and straight into his heart. Gin's eyes were wide in shock. He coughed and blood splattered on the ground. "I can't believe I was beaten by some stupid kid," Gin muttered, and then his eyes glazed over. He was dead.

xXx

Shinichi gazed for a moment at the dead evil king. He was dead, truly dead. His reign of terror was over. He turned his attention to the blue crystal floating high in the air. It was slowly lowering back to the ground. Once it had reached the floor, the crystal shimmered a couple times before disappearing. Kaito hung suspended in the air for a moment before he began to fall. Shinichi caught the prince and lowered the two of them until he was kneeling on one knee with Kaito in his arms. Kaito's eyes remained stubbornly closed, and lips slightly parted. "Kaito?" Shinichi called out to the prince hesitantly, but Kaito remained unconscious.

"You know what you have to do, don't you?" Ai suddenly joined him and landed gracefully on his shoulder. She spoke in a matter of fact tone that left no room for argument.

"Ai, you're okay," Shinichi smiled at her.

The tiny fairy rolled her eyes, "I told you I would be. Now as for the sleeping beauty down there, you have to kiss him if you want to wake him."

Shinichi felt the familiar blush creep up his face, "Fine, but go wait somewhere else. I don't like the idea of you sitting on my shoulder while I kiss him."

Ai answered, "Don't worry, I had the same idea. I'll wait for you two by the door."

After she left, Shinichi just looked at Kaito for a moment. The prince was KID, or KID was the prince. Whatever, either way he had been falling in love with the prince of Hyrule this entire time. But Shinichi knew they couldn't be together. He hugged the prince's unconscious body to him, holding him one last time. "One last kiss, Kaito, and then I have to let you go. I wish it could be another way, I wish we could be together, but without the ability to give you an heir, Hyrule will never accept us. I love you," Shinichi cupped Kaito's face with his hand and lowered his lips to Kaito's until they met. His eyes fluttered closed and he kissed Kaito.

After a moment, he felt Kaito respond to the kiss. He felt a hand on the back of his head as Kaito deepened the kiss. Shinichi couldn't help the tiny moan that managed to escape. They drew back breathless and Kaito beamed at Shinichi.

"My hero," he gave Shinichi a cheeky grin, "You saved me. I knew you could defeat Gin."

Shinichi smiled but didn't say anything. He didn't think he could speak past the lump in his throat.

Kaito stood and pulled Shinichi up with him. "Now that Hyrule is peaceful again, I have something I want to ask you," Kaito began. He actually looked nervous. "Shinichi, will you marry me?" He presented Shinichi with a white gold ring. It had a tiny Triforce symbol, the symbol of the royal family, engraved into it.

Shinichi felt happiness swell up inside of him. He won't to tell Kaito yes more than anything, but then reality set in. He felt something inside of him die as he looked at Kaito's nervous, smiling face and knew he would have to turn him down.

"Kaito…" Shinichi began.

"Hold it right there, Shinichi!" A new voice called out to them.

Shinichi turned to the owner of the voice and felt his jaw drop in amazement. Next to him, he heard Kaito whisper to himself, "Holy shit, this can't be real."

xXx

And all that is left is the epilogue! Who, I can't believe I made it this far. Thank you everyone for sticking with me. Please let me know what you think :D

If anyone is interested in playing the game that this fanfic is based off of, the game is called Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It originally came out on the Nintendo 64, but it came out again in the Zelda anniversary edition for the Game Cube (kinda hard to find) and again just a couple of months ago on the Nintendo 3DS.

There are also two graphic novels (sold in your kids section of your local book store), but the graphic novels are compact, which is never a good thing. They are okay, but I felt they could have been done better.

*Some people that have actually played the game might realize that some of the barrier rooms aren't exactly accurate. I did that to save time and to make it easier to describe.

**Did I mention that Shinichi got Fire Arrows? The hero does in the game, but I couldn't remember if I included it in my fanfic. I'm too lazy to go back and attempt to find something that may not even be there, so hey everyone! Shinichi has Fire Arrows!

*** Ok, so I skipped the part when Princess Zelda and Link have to escape the castle before it falls apart with them inside, and I skipped the part where Ganondorf turns into his beast form, Ganon. It's cool in the game, but I felt that for my fic, it would be best to end the fight with Gin here.


	11. The Epilogue

This last chapter was very hard for me to write. I had much of this chapter planned out since the beginning, but everything else….it was being a pain in the ass. The words just weren't flowing like they normally do.

You guys will not believe what I did. I had a lot of this typed up, and then I accidentally permanently deleted it. I wanted to cry. So here is my second attempt.

I feel that throughout this entire fic, Kaito and Shinichi had been very OOC. Now that I am writing the last chapter, I think they are back in character, which technically would be out of character for how I have made them in this fic. I just can't win! Hahaha.

**Question:** Who was surprised that KID was actually Prince Kaito? I'm curious so if anyone was, please let me know in a review.

xXx

"Holy shit, this can't be real," Kaito whispered to himself.

Standing in front of them were three women that Shinichi had never seen before. Despite this fact, he knew exactly who they were. After all, who would not recognize a god, or in this case three goddesses, when they saw one?

On the left stood Din, the creator of the earth. She had her arms crossed over her chest and had a look of boredom on her face. Her hair looked like fire as it flowed in the wind around her shoulders. She wore a red bikini top that left her stomach bare and a red skirt that flowed down her long legs until it reached her ankles. Her outline seemed to glow a faint red color. She scowled when she caught Shinichi examining her.

Farore, the creator of all living creatures, stood on the right. She had her hands clasped behind her back and wore a tiny smile on her face, her eyes danced with amusement. Her hair was pale blonde and was cute very short like a boy's, but the style was feminine. She had a pink flower tucked behind one ear and wore a simple green leotard with a pale green wrap tied around her waist like a skirt. She glowed green.

Last he turned his attention to Nayru, the goddess of wisdom. Her face was devoid of expression, she merely looked at Shinichi patiently, as if waiting for something. Her dark blue here flowed all the way to her waist and she wore a pale blue top with a darker blue shorts that came to her knees. She glowed blue.

Shinichi and Kaito, disguised as KID, had both seen many things on their quest to take down Gin, but this topped them all. The two were rendered speechless. When neither Shinichi nor Kaito spoke, Din snapped, "Well, are you going to tell us why you called us down here or not? The three of us don't have all day to waste on a couple of mortals, you know."

Shinichi felt himself break from his trance and bowed low, "Forgive me, goddesses." He straightened and glanced at Kaito from the corner of his eye. The prince seemed just as confused as he was. He felt Shinichi looking at him and turned and gave Shinichi a comforting smile. Shinichi smiled back before turning back to the three goddesses. "I'm sorry, but I do not understand. Neither I nor my companion has summoned you, my goddesses."

Din groaned impatiently, "Nayru, I think when you spread your wisdom to the humans, you missed this one, because he is clearly an idiot."

Nayru put a finger to her chin and cocked her head to the side, "No, no I'm sure I got him too. He may seem dimwitted at the moment, but he has plenty of cleverness. He must be masking it for some unknown reason."

Shinichi felt his blood boil at their comments, but he quickly reminded himself that snapping at the goddesses probably wasn't a good idea. Keep his temper and live, or snap and piss off the three most powerful beings in the entire universe…he chose to keep his mouth shut.

Farore approached Shinichi and circled behind him. He followed her with his eyes until she was out of his line of site, than he felt her put her hands on either of his shoulders. He turned his head and gasped at what he saw, the goddess was huge! Easily being seven, maybe seven and a half feet tall! How did he not notice? She didn't look any taller than the other two, so they had to be just as tall as she was. Somehow, he hadn't noticed until she was standing right next to him.*

"Now, now sisters, Shinichi has had a rough day. He did just defeat Gin, save all of Hyrule and the life of the one he loves, and on top of that Kaito proposed! I think it is understandable that he might be thinking a little slow right now," Farore told the other two.

Din snorted, "You're only sticking up for him because Shinichi is your favorite."

Farore frowned, "That's not true, I don't have a favorite. I love all of the humans I created equally."

Nayru interrupted, "I think we should get back to the subject at hand."

Farore made a noise like she was just remembering something she had forgotten. She kept her hands on Shinichi's shoulders and leaned forward so that the two could look each other in the eye. "Shinichi, dear, whether you remember it or not, you called the three of us down here. Now you must tell us what it is you wish for," Farore told him gently, as if afraid of scaring him.

Shinichi frowned, "But I didn't…"

"Shinichi," the green goddess interrupted, "Why don't you think back to what happened before you fought Gin. The three Triforce pieces were brought back together, so they combined into one. You defeated Gin and Kaito was still unconscious, so that made you the one that possess the Triforce. Then you made your wish and called us down here."

"I don't remember making a wish," Shinichi stubbornly replied.

Rather than answering, Farore turned her attention to the prince. Shinichi followed her gaze until he was also looking at Kaito. Kaito was standing a little off to the side, listening with curiosity. When Shinichi looked at him, he gave the hero a smile that made Shinichi's knees feel weak. Shinichi felt himself smiling back, but then the sadness seeped inside him once again, spreading slowly throughout his body like a poison that was trying to consume him. _I wish we could be together._

Kaito's expression changed to one of confusion and he was no longer looking at Shinichi but at the three goddesses. Shinichi turned and saw that all three of the goddesses were glowing a bright golden color.

Din smiled, "So you seem to understand after all, but you cannot just think your wish, you have to verbally ask us. You have to pour your entire heart and soul into it."

Shinichi finally suspected what wish the three goddesses were talking about, but it did nothing to make him feel better. Farore had joined back with her sisters and he turned to face the three of them at once. "I'm sorry, but you came for nothing. I only have one wish and I doubt even the combined powers of the goddesses can help me," Shinichi told them. He tried to sound nonchalant, but the sadness in his eyes gave him away.

Din was furious, "You dare doubt the power of the three of us? After I used my bare hands to craft the earth from the chaos that had previously ruled, after my sister Nayru created the laws of the land, and Farore created every creature living on the land I created that would uphold the laws Nayru set, you think the wish of one puny human is too much for us?"

Shinichi was shocked, "I-I apologize, I didn't think, I didn't realize…"

Din wasn't done, "after all we three have done, you think your one stupid wish has finally stumped us. Behold, Shinichi, Hero of Time, this is the wish that you think my sisters and I cannot grant." She raised her arms above her head and made a motion of throwing something hard on the ground.

At the spot that she indicated with her arms, a swirl of silvery smoke appeared. It rose into the air and circled around itself, forming a ball. Inside the ball, Shinichi thought he could make out shadows of what looked like people.

"Shinichi, I think that's you and me after the battle," Kaito had stepped forward until he was shoulder to shoulder with Shinichi. The hero turned to him in surprise and then looked back at the scene in the silvery smoke. The figures inside the smoke seemed to be becoming clearer until Shinichi could finally see that Kaito was right. Inside the smoke was Shinichi clutching a sleeping Kaito to his chest.

The expression on Shinichi's face was heart breaking. He clutched the prince tightly to his chest and buried his nose into Kaito's shoulder.

The present Kaito took Shinichi's hand and gave it a squeeze. Shinichi turned to Kaito and the prince asked, "I was only sleeping, why do you look so sad?"

Rather than answering, Shinichi just shrugged and turned his attention back to the silvery smoke and the scene playing out inside it. The smoke-Shinichi pulled the unconscious Kaito away from him a little and began speaking to the sleeping prince. "_One last kiss, Kaito, and then I have to let you go. I wish it could be another way, I wish we could be together, but without the ability to give you an heir, Hyrule will never accept us. I love you," _Shinichi cupped Kaito's face with his hand and lowered his lips to Kaito's until they met. The scene began to fade and the silvery smoke disappeared.

Kaito turned to Shinichi, his eyes glittering with emotion, "Was that real? Is that really how you feel?"

Shinichi felt like he was going to choke with emotion, "it is real, Kaito. I love you. I want to be with you. But I do not see how that would be possible."

"You mean because of that silly heir thing?" Kaito waved his hand like he was physically waving away Shinichi's protest.

"Yes! You are the Prince of Hyrule! Everyone knows that royalty is obsessed with having someone to carry on and run the kingdom once the king is gone. Your father was killed seven years ago making you the new king of Hyrule. Your first matter of importance is finding yourself some beautiful princess, wedding her, and producing a couple of future kings or queens," Shinichi all but yelled.

Kaito took both of Shinichi's hands in his. He held them together like they were precious and made of glass, "I know that it's important. I know that I need to find an heir. But I already found my beautiful princess and I just can't bring myself to care about things like babies and future rulers. I love you, Shinichi. You are the one I want by my side while I rule over Hyrule. I don't know what we will do about an heir, but we'll find a way to make it work. So please, Shinichi. Say yes. Say you will marry me."

Tired of being ignored, one of the goddesses coughed loudly into her fist. Shinichi had a good idea which one it was. He turned and saw Din lowering her fist, obviously being the one to cough. Nayru smiled for the first time and took a couple steps closer to the couple, "Your love for each other is strong and pure. Shinichi, your wish is clear, you wish to be with the prince. It is a good wish, one the three of us will be happy to grant. Your concern is that you will not be able to produce an heir for Kaito. It is a simple matter to fix, one with many solutions. For you two, I think the best solution would be…yes, I think that would be best. What do you think, Farore?"

The green goddess smiled and moved to join her sisters, "Yes, the moonlit child sounds the best to me as well, and so romantic as well." She giggled.

Din walked till she was even with her two sisters, "Are we going to explain the plan to them or not? They look confused."

Nayru nodded, "The solution is simple. The three of us shall bless you with the gift of a child. The child will be yours in every way, but neither of you will be burdened with the task of carrying or birthing the child."

Kaito politely asked, "Than how will we get the child."

Farore answered, "Love is the key. Prove your love to each other under the light of the full moon, and you will discover that we have gifted you with a child of your very own."

Din smirked at them, "The full moon part is important. It doesn't matter how much you 'prove your love' to each other. If it is not directly under the light of the full moon, you will not receive a child."

Shinichi blushed. He squeaked, "You mean we have to have sex outside? Where anyone could see us?" Kaito grinned until it looked like his face would break into two, obviously happy about the idea of having sex with Shinichi.

Nayru smiled, "To prove that you have the goddesses' blessings, we will give the both of you and your child a birthmark that will prove our approval." Farore came forward and took Shinichi's left hand in both of hers while Nayru took Kaito's. Shinichi felt his hand grow warm and when Farore released him, he saw the mark of the Triforce was back on his hand. This time instead of being an unnatural golden color, it was slightly darker than his skin making it look like it was indeed a birthmark. Kaito was inspecting his own hand and Shinichi suspected that his hand looked the same.

The three goddesses spoke as one, "With your wish being granted, our business here is done. Farwell, Shinichi, the Hero of Time and Kaito, the prince of Hyrule." They burst into a jet of light and were gone.

xXx

Shinichi and Kaito looked up at the sky and watched the jets of light that were the goddesses get smaller and smaller until they could see them no more. Than Kaito turned to Shinichi with a shy smile on his face, "So Shinichi. I guess that now that we have the goddesses' blessings, you have no problem marrying me?"

Shinichi's cheeks turned pink and he nodded, "yes. I would be happy to marry you Kaito."

Kaito let out a whoop of victory and picked Shinichi up by his thin waist. Shinichi yelped and clutched onto Kaito as the laughing prince began spinning him around in circles.

Ai suddenly joined them, "Shinichi, what is this idiot so happy about?"

Kaito set Shinichi down and answered for the dizzy hero, "Ai, you missed it! The three goddesses were here, and Shinichi agreed to marry me, and Din was cranky, and Shinichi is going to be my blushing bride, and Farore was really nice, and Shinichi loves me!"

"Kaito!" Shinichi yelled to stop the prince. Then he seemed to remember something, "And stop calling me your 'princess' and 'blushing bride'!"

"Aw, but Shinichi, you are as pretty as any princess, prettier actually! And look at those beautiful, red cheeks, you can't tell me you won't be blushing at the wedding," Kaito laughed.

It was Ai's turn to interrupt Kaito, "So he agreed to marry you? That's good, I thought the idiot would find a reason to deny you."

Shinichi blushed again while Kaito laughed, "Oh he tried, my little fairy friend, he tried." He held up his hand and displayed the mark of the goddesses, "With the help of the three goddesses, we convinced him to change his mind."

Ai smiled softly and flew in front of Shinichi till the hero had to go slightly cross-eyed to look at her, "I'm glad. You deserve to be happy, Shinichi."

Shinichi smiled back, "Thank you, Ai."

Not wanting to be ignored for long, Kaito loudly yelled, "We have a wedding to plan!" Shinichi groaned and Ai rolled her eyes.

xXx

The next couple of weeks were pure chaos. Gin might have been gone, but things were far from peaceful for Shinichi. Kaito had taken his place as king of Hyrule, but for now the spot of queen was left empty. Since weddings took time, Shinichi was not yet married to Kaito and therefore could not technically join Kaito on the throne. This brought in every suitable maiden from all over the land all trying to win Kaito's heart.

Since they were his subjects, Kaito tried to let them down as gently as he could. After all, it wouldn't be good for him to gain a reputation as some evil overlord he broke the hearts of young maidens. Still, some of the maidens took his rejection easily, while others didn't.

Shinichi entered the castle and could hear the cries of a woman echoing along the walls. He followed the cries to the chambers Kaito chose to meet the maidens in everyday. When he finally entered the room, the sight that greeted him made him unsure if he wanted to double over with laughter, or go into a jealous rage.

Kaito was standing and attempting to walk to the door that Shinichi was now standing in front of while a young woman, the one Shinichi had heard the moment he walked into the castle, has sitting on the floor with a death grip around Kaito's ankles. She was crying words at the young king and ignoring the fact that she was being dragged on the floor while Kaito tried to walk to the door.

Kaito looked up and noticed Shinichi. His expression immediately turned to one of relief, "Shinichi, you are here." He turned his attention to the girl that was sobbing at his feet. She still hadn't released the king's leg. Kaito poked her head with his finger a couple of times to get her attention. The girl sniffled a couple times and looked at Kaito in confusion. "Ms. Yukio was it? I would like you to meet Shinichi, my fiancé."

The girl slowly got to her feet and approached Shinichi. Shinichi stood very still as inspected him. She was speaking, although the hero couldn't tell if she was talking to herself or to him, "So the rumors were true. Our king is engaged already, and to a man to boot. What do you have that I don't? How could he possibly love you when he could have me?"

Shinichi wanted to snort, but managed to hold it in. What made her think anyone would want her after she behaved like that?

"You are dismissed, Ms Yukio. Shinichi and I must plan for the wedding now," Kaito told the young woman. The girl sniffled a couple more times, but seeing that Kaito wasn't about to change his mind, she left.

After she left, Kaito let out a relieved sigh. His shoulders sagged and he held his face in his hands. "I swear, they get crazier and crazier each day," he groaned out. Shinichi immediately went behind the king and began rubbing the young man's shoulders. Kaito moaned in appreciation. "You are amazing, Shinichi. Simply wonderful. And your hands are like magic."

Shinichi felt his cheeks turn pink, "It's nothing."

Since the day Kaito had taken his place on the throne, the maidens had all lined up to meet him. Kaito had tried telling them that he was engaged to be married, but they each refused to leave until he met with each of them in private. Each seemed to believe that if they just had a moment alone with the young king, they could somehow convince him to change his mind and marry one of them instead.

Rather than meet them all in one day, Kaito allowed the girls to meet him for two hours every afternoon. Than Shinichi would come to fetch (save) the young king and the two would be together for the rest of the day. Most of that was sent planning the wedding, but sometimes Kaito's stress levels would get to high and he would take them on a relaxing picnic. Other times, he would attack Shinichi's lips in a furious make out session.

"We don't have to have some big grand wedding, you know. I would be fine with something simple and small," Shinichi had suggested one day.

"So would I, but it's not just about us. A royal wedding is special, they don't happen too often. And considering I'm choosing the person that will rule the land with me, it's a big deal for the people. A royal wedding is open to all that want to come. I expect at least half of Hyrule will be in attendance. The wedding is a chance for us to show off our power, and for us to make our first official public appearance together as a couple. Basically, it's all about politics. Besides, everyone loves a wedding, it will be good for the people, raise their spirits after everything they have been through," he surmised with an apologetic glance at Shinichi.

The hero sighed, "I should have known that it wouldn't just be a simple wedding. I'm sorry Kaito, I didn't even think about the politics behind the wedding, or how the people must be feeling right now. I feel like I have so much to learn. I hope I don't fail you."

Kaito gave Shinichi a chaste kiss, "you'll learn it all eventually. And I will help you as much as I can. You'll make a great queen."

Shinichi elbowed Kaito in the side, "Stop calling me a queen."**

Suddenly they heard a guard shout out, "I'm sorry Miss, but you can't go that way without an appointment with the king!" The guard sounded strained, as if he had been shouting this numerous times now and had been ignored each time.

"And _I_ told _you_ that it's not the king I am interested in! I'm here to see Shinichi," Around the corner came none other than Sonoko, princess of the Zora people.

Kaito looked amused at the site of the girl while Shinichi's jaw dropped as soon as he saw her. "S-Sonoko? What are you doing here?" he finally managed to ask her.

Sonoko turned and smiled wide when she saw Shinichi. The fins on her arms wiggled in excitement. "Shinichi, tell this idiot guard here that I am an honored guest and should be treated as such," she sniffed.

Shinichi groaned and turned to the guard, "She's okay. Don't worry about her."

The guard still looked uncertain. He sent a questioning look to Kaito. The young king narrowed his eyes, "If Shinichi said she is okay, than she is okay. Shinichi's word is my word, do not forget it."

Shinichi lightly touched Kaito's arm, silently telling him it was fine. So the guards didn't listen to him yet, he understood. He wasn't actually married to Kaito yet, and until he was, he was just another person. Once he married Kaito and gained royal status (he refused to call himself queen), he wouldn't be the only one adjusting to changes.

Her turned back to Sonoko and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for the wedding of course," Sonoko cheerfully replied.

"But we have barely started planning the wedding. We don't even have a date picked out yet, the wedding is months away," Shinichi replied.

"That's okay, I don't mind staying as long as you need me," the princess replied. At Shinichi's questioning look, she went on, "I plan on helping with the wedding of course. I mean, I don't know much about your fiancé here," she inclined her head towards Kaito, "but I do know that you could not plan a wedding if your life depended on it, which leaves your poor fiancé to plan the wedding all on his own."

Kaito suddenly looked much happier, "Your help would be much appreciated, your highness. Shinichi here isn't to good with this wedding stuff. The other day I asked him if we should have white table cloths or blue, and he asked me if it mattered!"

Sonoko let out a dramatic gasp, "He didn't!" Both turned as one and shot Shinichi a pitying look.

The young hero groaned loudly. Kaito had just gained a partner in crime. Suddenly a thought occurred to him, "Sonoko, what about the Zora?"

"Oh? Didn't you hear? I met someone, his name is Makoto. He is a very handsome Zora that apparently has liked me for years. Isn't that sweet? So we married and then father retired. Makoto has agreed to watch the kingdom for me while I visit you. He really is much better at these royal duties than I am. They just seem so dull to me," Sonoko proudly told them.

Shinichi stared at the crazy girl. Well that was fast. He had only just defeated Gin. How had she left the Chamber of Sages and met someone that fast? But if the king of the Zora's was willing to retire after Sonoko married, he must trust this Makoto person.

Shinichi noticed that he was being left behind as Sonoko and Kaito walked away, both talking vigorously about hors d'oeuvres and flowers. He ran to catch up. Strange, at one time Kaito, disguised as KID, had been jealous of Sonoko because her claim of her engagement to the hero. Now they were getting along like lifelong friends.

xXx

Shinichi had to admit, he had had his doubts, but Sonoko really was good at planning his and Kaito's wedding. She had only been there a week, and already she had helped pick the exact spot where the wedding would take place, found a couple musicians to play during and after the ceremony, decided on a menu for the chef, and had interviewed all the potential entertainers.

At this rate, they would be ready in just a couple weeks.

"Shinichi, we have a problem," Sonoko suddenly appeared before him.

He blinked at her, "What is it?"

"I do not approve of any of the florist available. They are all clearly amateurs that have not yet learned their trade. I refuse to hire any of them," she told him.

Shinichi raised an eyebrow at her. Suddenly Kaito appeared behind him, "She's right. They aren't that bad I suppose, but I wouldn't say they are good enough to do a royal wedding."

"Well that's unfortunate, but we have to pick one, don't we? We don't have any other choice," Shinichi pointed out.

Kaito grinned, "Oh, but we do."

Two days later, Hakuba showed up.

"I don't know what you expect of me, my knowledge of plants and flowers deals more with useful purposes the plants can be used for, not just looking pretty," the botanist told them.

Sonoko gave Hakuba a disbelieving smile, "Oh so I suppose we should go with my original idea then, using yellow carnations and geraniums."

Hakuba's eyes widened, "Yellow carnations mean rejection and disappointment while geraniums mean stupidity! Why don't you give Shinichi a bouquet of dead, black roses while you are at it?"

Kaito feigned ignorance, "What would you recommend then?"

"Just off the top of my head, I would say yellow or red tulips, roses are always a good choice, orchids, and they aren't very popular but orange blossoms would also work," the botanist replied.

Sonoko frowned, "Orange blossoms? That sounds ridicules."

Hakuba turned to her and shook his head, "Oh no, at one time orange blossoms signified never ending love, marriage, and purity. They went out of style some time ago, but they are coming back again. And I have been told that the wedding will be outside, the small white flowers beneath a clear blue sky are sure to be breath taking."

Kaito and Sonoko exchanged smug looks. Shinichi just shook his head, "I think you have just been hired."

xXx

The castle maids had their hands full between Sonoko and Aoko, who had come with Hakuba of course. Okay, so Aoko wasn't really a problem, it was mostly Sonoko. The Zora princess demanded that her room be "super cute," so the maids decorated her room with lace and fresh flowers to please her.

When Aoko showed up, Sonoko was delighted. Finally, she had some girl company to keep her breathing through all of the testosterone. She of course demanded that Aoko's room be just as pretty as hers, so once again the maids had to decorate another room.

The problem was that Sonoko grew bored very quickly, and when she got bored, she demanded the rooms to be redecorated, Aoko's as well. When the head maid had finally voiced a tiny complaint to the king, Kaito had given her an understanding grin and told her to keep the Zora princess as happy as they possibly could. Once he reminded the poor maid that Sonoko's stay was only temporary, her spirit's raised tremendously. "Besides, the happier she is, the sooner she will finish the wedding planning, and the sooner she will leave," he told her. After that, the maids worked extra hard to please the Zora princess.

One advantage of having Aoko around was that she kept the peace between Hakuba and Kaito. Once Hakuba had settled in and Kaito had gotten to know him, the young king had discovered that the botanist was a fun person to annoy. So Kaito would pick on him, and pick on him, and eventually Hakuba would snap. Aoko always helped calm Hakuba down afterward, and she wasn't afraid to lecture Kaito for his immature behavior. Yet still, Kaito really seemed to enjoy aggravating the botanist.

When Shinichi had questioned him on it one day, the king had replied with, "He has the most amusing reactions when he is angry. His face turns red and he gets this little vein right _here_ that will pop out. He'll grit his teeth and try so hard not to snap at me, but eventually he loses his temper and begins yelling at me. It's totally awesome!"

"But look at it from Hakuba's point of view," Shinichi pleaded, "You are the king of Hyrule. Normal people can't fight with and yell at their king."

"But Hakuba isn't a normal person, he is the friend of my fiancé, and I want him to be my friend too," Kaito answered.

Shinichi paused. Damn, Kaito could be so cute sometimes. He pinched the bridge of his nose, "Have you tried explaining this to Hakuba? I'm sure if he would be more open around you if he knew you weren't going to throw him in the stocks the moment he angers you."

Kaito considered Shinichi's words before a devilish grin took over his expression. Shinichi sent him a questioning look so he answered, "Imagine how pissed Hakuba would be if I _did _throw him in the stocks, but I dressed him as a lady first."

Shinichi groaned, "Kaito…"

The king laughed, "Don't worry, I understand what you are saying, and I agree with you. I'll talk to Hakuba."

The next time Shinichi saw Kaito and Hakuba together, Kaito had just dyed Hakuba's hair bright pink. It seemed that Kaito had talked to Hakuba like he promised he would, because Hakuba was now chasing the king attempting to strangle him. Kaito had a look of pure joy on his face as he ran and even Aoko, who normally was quick to defend the botanist, was laughing.

Shinichi smiled as he watched, happy that Kaito had made two new friends.

xXx

After Sonoko, Hakuba, and Aoko arrived, Shinichi really shouldn't have been surprised that Hattori would follow soon after, and yet he was.

"Brother! How are ya?" The king of the Gorons called out to Shinichi as he entered the castle. Three guards had tackled Hattori in an attempt to keep him from going inside, but their efforts were in vain. The three guards hung from Hattori's shoulders, trying to use their combined body weight to stop him from going any farther. The Goron king didn't seem to notice.

"It's okay, he is with me, I guess," Shinichi told the guards in exasperation.

The guards looked relieved and gave up on their attempts to stop the Goron from moving forward. Before Shinichi could duck, Hattori swept Shinichi into a bone crushing hug. "I missed you, brother," Hattori told Shinichi while the hero fought to breath.

Kaito appeared from nowhere, "King Hattori, what a pleasure it is to finally meet you! Would you mind releasing my fiancé? He's turning blue." He said all of this with a smile.

Hattori blinked at the man and looked down at Shinichi. The young hero was indeed blue and Hattori quickly dropped him. Kaito easily caught his fiancé and was rubbing soothing circles on his back while the hero focused on breathing. "Sorry about that, Shinichi," he sheepishly replied.

Once he had regained his breath, the hero answered, "It's alright. I assume you are here for the wedding as well?"

Hattori grinned broadly, "Of course. I thought I would come a little early so I could visit my favorite brother, and so I could get to know your future husband here." He turned his attention to Kaito. He gave the king of Hyrule a hard look. "I don know much about you ta be honest, but I am told that you disguised yourself as a Sheikah and helped Shinichi on his quest."

Kaito nodded, being serious for once, "It's true. I did all that I could to help. I'm only sorry that I couldn't do more."

The corners of Hattori's lips twitched, as if he was trying not to smile, "Ya seem like an okay guy. But I warn you, I fully expect you ta take care of Shinichi. He has been through a lot and he deserves ta be taken care of."

Shinichi was touched by Hattori's words. He hadn't realized how much the Goron cared till now. Kaito answered, "Don't worry, I plan to make Shinichi as happy as humanly possible for the rest of our lives. He is lucky to have you for a brother, Hattori King of the Gorons."

Their conversation was interrupted by shriek of anger, "Hattori!"

The Goron cringed. He threw on a smile and turned around, "Kazuha, sweetie! You finally made it here."

A female Goron stomped into the palace. Like male Gorons, her skin was also tanned and seemed to be harder than normal humans. Unlike male Gorons, she lacked the hard, rock-like skin on her knuckles and back. Her body was fit, but not as muscular as the male Goron he remembered seeing on the mountain.

"Don't you sweetie me, you idiot!*** You left without me! We were suppose ta come visit Shinichi together and you left without me," the female Goron, he Shinichi assumed was Kazuha, yelled at Hattori.

"Well you were takin to long, so I thought I would go ahead!" Hattori tried to defend himself.

"Ya asshole, I was tryin ta make sure our son would be ok while we were gone. Don forget the last time he was alone was when Gin trapped as in the Fire Temple and planned on feeding us to that dragon," she roared back.

Hattori winced. How could he forget? Shinichi, his son, was still only a child. Still, he hated to admit she was right, and she _was_ taking a long time. How long did it take to make sure their son would be okay? Their son was a Goron, they were made out of tough stuff. Kazuha was blowing everything out of proportion and over reacting. This decided, the Goron king yelled back at Kazuha and the argument continued.

Finally Kaito interrupted, "I'm so glad you could make it to the wedding, Hattori. And he is this beautiful lady with you?"

Kazuha blushed, "I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself to you. My name is Kazuha. I am Hattori's wife and the Queen of the Gorons."

Shinichi smiled at her, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Hattori smiled, "Well now tha we all know each other, how about you show us to our rooms, Shinichi? I hope they are comfortable, I have a feeling Kazuha and I are goin to be here awhile."

Shinichi mentally groaned.

xXx

Lucky for Shinichi's sanity, Hattori was wrong and they were _not_ there long. Sonoko pulled in everyone to help on the wedding, and slowly everything came together.

But something nagged at Shinichi.

"Shinichi, we need you to try on your wedding dress," Kaito came up behind his fiancé.

"Kaito, I think I would like to visit the Kokiri. The children of the forest can't leave the forest, so Ran won't be able to attend the ceremony. Besides, I was thinking the children could make the banners that will go around town," Shinichi told Kaito.

The king of Hyrule smiled, "I think they would enjoy that. That's very thoughtful of you. And I think Ran would like seeing you. I just have one condition…"

"What is it," the hero asked cautiously."

"I get to come with you of course," he answered brightly.

Shinichi laughed, "That's fine by me, but will you be able to enter the forest? I have heard that humans that enter become monsters."

Kaito hummed in thought, "I think that's a rumor the Deku Tree spread to protect the Kokiri. Besides, if you remember, I _had_ to cross through the forest to get to the Forest Temple and teach you the Minuet of Forest."

"You're right. It makes sense I suppose, the Deku Tree was very protective of all the Kokiri. I can imagine him doing everything possible to keep them safe. But even if that part isn't true, I bet the Kokiri really can't leave the forest," he replied.

"So you don't mind if I come?"

"Of course not. I bet Ran would love to meet you," he blushed before continuing, "And I, uh, would like you to come." Kaito just laughed and hugged the blushing hero. Suddenly Shinichi remembered something, "Kaito, did you say something early about a wedding dress for me? You _know_ I'm not wearing a dress."

The king of Hyrule whined, "Aw, no fun!"

Shinichi chuckled, "Come on, we better go tell Sonoko our plans. She isn't going to be happy about the loss of two helpers."

xXx

Kaito and Shinichi both entered the forest and immediately, they were surrounded by the Kokiri. Each one babbled excitedly fighting to be heard. One figure however was missing.

"Excuse me, would you guys be willing to lead my companion and myself to Ran?" Shinichi called out to the forest children. The Kokiri each turned and looked at each other, than they grabbed Kaito and Shinichi's hands, their shirts, whatever the Kokiri could get their tiny hands on and led the two adults through the village.

The children brought them to what Shinichi recognized to be Ran's house. A Kokiri pointed to the door and spoke up, "Ran is inside."

Shinichi gave the forest child a smile, "Thank you for your help."

The Kokiri left leaving Kaito and Shinichi alone outside Ran's door. Shinichi knocked and waited politely for an answer. A moment later, Ran answered. She gasped, "Shinichi? Is that you?"

The hero gave her a half smile, "Hey Ran, sorry for taking so long to visit."

The small girl threw herself at Shinichi, who barely caught her in time. It was strange, seven years ago, he was a child like her and she had actually been taller than him. Now he was an adult that towered over her and she looked exactly the same as she did seven years ago.

Ran ushered them inside where Shinichi introduced her to Kaito. He immediately won her over and the three spent hours talking and catching up.

Finally Shinichi brought up the subject of his wedding. He told Ran his idea to have the Kokiri make the banners that would hang around Castle Town and announce the wedding.

"The Kokiri would love that," Ran assured him.

Finally it was time to leave. It was getting late and Kaito wanted to be back home before sunset. Just because Gin was gone didn't mean that there weren't still monsters out there. Not that Shinichi couldn't handle them, but with Gin gone, Kaito wanted to keep Shinichi as safe as possible. No reason to make the retired hero fight if he could avoid it.

"We'll come back in a couple days to pick up the banners," Shinichi promised before leaving.

xXx

The Kokiri out did themselves on the banners. Sure, they looked like children made them (for obvious reasons), but it added a certain charm to them. Kaito's favorite was a poster with stick figure drawings of both he and Shinichi sitting in a tree with a bunch of hearts above them. Across the top of the poster, it read, "Kaito and Shinichi sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G." And of course certain letters were backwards or upside down.

The posters and banners were hung all over the town and with that done, Shinichi realized they were ready for the wedding. They waited a couple more days to allow any guests that planned on attending time to arrive, and before Shinichi knew it, the day was upon them.

"Stop acting so nervous, you're making me nervous and I'm not the one getting married," Ai commanded.

"I'm not nervous," Shinichi replied as he paced his room. Ai shot him a look and he sighed, "Fine, I'm nervous, but I think I have a good reason to be."

Shinichi checked his reflection for the nth time. He felt silly in his formal wedding clothes. He wore a long-sleeved tunic colored a deep blue with the Hylian bird in silver on the front. Silver designs also decorated the shoulders and he wore a silver belt around his thin waist. Underneath the tunic he wore regular pants colored the same as his tunic and a pair of boots that went over his knees. The pants and boots were so tight they almost looked painted on his skin. His boots also had tall heels, giving him height he wasn't use too. The boots were made to please the eye rather than for practical use. The worst part about the costume, as he had come to view the outfit, was the cape. Yes, he wore a cape. The inner lining was silver and made from a very soft material. The outside part was deep blue, nearly black, and had the Triforce and some designs surrounding it all in silver.

Ai sighed when she saw him looking at himself again. "Shinichi, I have already told you. You look amazing. Stop looking at yourself like that," she told him.

He didn't feel like arguing, so he turned away from his reflection. His eyes found instead the blue, Hylian rose sitting on the dresser. He smiled when he remembered the first time he had received a rose. He carefully picked up the delicate flower and sniffed it. He felt himself calming down. That's right, he was marrying Kaito, the love of his life. He felt his nervous feelings slipping away. He carefully pinned the rose to his tunic, right over his heart.

He turned to his fairy with a smile, "I guess I better tell Sonoko I'm ready to begin."

xXx

Sonoko had outdone herself. The wedding was outside, like Hakuba said. They needed all the room for all the people that showed up. Also, it was a beautiful day outside, so why waste the day by being stuck indoors? There were many rows of white chairs for guests, but most had to stand simply because there were so many people and not enough seats. Flowers were everywhere. It was truly spectacular…but Shinichi didn't notice any of this.

Once the wedding began, Shinichi's eyes found Kaito's and they stayed there for the rest of the ceremony. Everything else fell away and seemed unimportant. Later, Shinichi would hear that Kaito was breath taking in his wedding attire, but Shinichi wouldn't know. His eyes never left Kaito's face, which in his opinion was the real breath taking site.

He vaguely remembered him telling someone "I do," and Kaito was lucky that he didn't notice the priestess telling the king "You may kiss your bride." All Shinichi was aware of was Kaito taking him into his arms and locking their lips together. The kiss ended far sooner than he would have liked, some tiny voice whispered in the back of his head that half of Hyrule was watching, so they should keep the kiss on the short side. The voice was right, but he didn't have to be happy about it.

Kaito seemed to read his thoughts. He leaned forward and whispered, "Patience, my love. We have the rest of our lives to make out. We just have to get through this last night, and then you are mine."

Shinichi blushed and before he had time to reply, the priestess addressed the crowd, "My I introduce to you Kaito and Shinichi Kuroba, the king and queen of Hyrule!" Everyone cheered and Kaito took Shinichi's hand in his and led him down the aisle.

Shinichi thought Kaito was going to lead him into the castle, but just when they reached the outside gates, Kaito turned and led him into the woods nearby. The young king kept close to the castle, always keeping the walls to his right side, as he led Shinichi through the trees.

"Kaito? Where are we going?" Shinichi asked.

Kaito stopped walking. He turned around and answered, "I guess here is far enough. They would find us in the castle, but they won't look for us out here."

"What are you talking about? Kaito, we have the after party to go to."

Shinichi blushed when Kaito drew closer, pressing their bodies together, "I don't think anyone will hold it against us if we are a little late. Sonoko will be there, I know she will figure out our plans and move everyone along through the party. We can sneak in later when we are ready."

"And why aren't we ready now? Did you have something planned?" Shinichi asked.

Kaito gently but firmly gripped Shinichi's arms and pressed the hero against the wall of the castle. He leaned in until their lips were nearly touching, "I'm going to ravish you, my mate."

Shinichi's only smiled, "I guess you get points for calling me 'mate' instead of 'wife.' And I suppose you can be a little late."

Kaito smiled in delight. Before he closed the distance between them with a kiss, he whispered, "I'm going to have to give the tailor a raise, because you look stunning in those clothes. I can't wait to get you out of them tonight."

Shinichi blushed, but he no longer felt silly in his clothes. He felt stunning.

xXx

Shinichi and Kaito were _very_ late, but nobody seemed to hold it against them. In fact, most gave them knowing looks and some even gave Kaito a high five. Shinichi turned tomato red every time Kaito received one.

The funny thing was, they hadn't actually done _it_. They had fun, _lots and lots of fun_, but they hadn't actually gone all the way.

'_I want to do it properly. I want you to be as comfortable as possible which means a bed, not lying in the dirt and grass. And I want to take our time to enjoy it. So please, just be patient for a little longer, love,'_ Kaito had said back in the forest.

So instead of fucking like bunnies, they were at their wedding party, celebrating with half the kingdom. The food was delicious and Kaito somehow talked Shinichi into dancing with him. (_Damn those irresistible eyes._) The party was beautiful. Paper lanterns had been hung in the trees, each one holding a lit candle inside bathing everything in gold. Ai had talked a group of wild fairies into hanging around, and once it grew dark, it looked like silver balls of light were flying around. The tables had white cloths over them with matching white chairs, and each table had a one of three different kinds of center pieces. One was a very tall, tree-like plant with candles surrounding the base, one was a simple bouquet of flowers, and one was a glass vase with pink flowers and candles floating in the water.

Everyone wanted to say hi to the young prince and his mate, but Shinichi's friends weren't ignored either. King Hattori had no problems speaking to the two whenever he wanted, after all who was going to stop a huge Goron king? Sonoko wasn't a giant rock-person, but she was the Queen of the Zora people and she was also very loud. Hakuba was too polite to fight for a chance to talk to Shinichi, but Aoko wasn't, and she was a Gerudo. So as long as he stuck with her, Hakuba did just fine.

It was very late when the royal couple finally left the party. They said their goodbyes and left. Kaito took Shinichi to his room, but Shinichi knew it would be some time before they actually went to sleep.

xXx **Warning, poor attempt at a lemon.**

Kaito had just opened the door to his room and Shinichi was about to enter, but Kaito stopped him. "Wait, I want to do this properly," he told his partner.

Shinichi gave him a confused look, and then squeaked when the young king picked him up bridal style, "Kaito, what are you doing?"

Kaito smirked when Shinichi's arms tightened around his neck in surprise, "I told you, I want to do this properly. So I am carrying my bride over the threshold."

Shinichi's cheeks flushed in anger, "Kaito, if you call me your bride or queen one more time, I will…" whatever Shinichi's threat was, they would never know for Kaito chose that moment to interrupt him with a kiss.

The kiss started off chaste, but Kaito didn't let it stay that way long. He gently bit down on Shinichi's lower lip causing the hero to open his mouth in surprise. Kaito licked around the slight opening, asking for entrance. Shinichi opened his mouth wider, allowing the young king to explore with his tongue.

Suddenly, Shinichi felt a falling sensation. He opened his eyes wide, and plopped down onto Kaito's large, soft bed. He glared at Kaito accusingly, and the young king chuckled guiltily, "I couldn't help myself." When Shinichi continued to glare, Kaito crawled onto the bed after him. He made the motion look smooth and sexy. He gave Shinichi a razor sharp grin.

Shinichi tried to back away, leery of anymore tricks, but Kaito was faster. He was suddenly underneath the devious king, probably the worst position he could be in. He repositioned his hand and unknowingly put it on his cape, causing his hand to slip out from behind him and for him to fall on his back, lying underneath the young king, completely vulnerable. Ok, so apparently, things could be much worse.

Kaito leaned down and Shinichi held his breath in anticipation for whatever the trick he was about to do, only to blow it out again in a happy sigh as the young king started to kiss his neck. He shivered at the pleasant sensations running through his body as his husband kissed his neck. Without warning, Kaito bit down making the hero gasp, which quickly turned to a moan. Kaito undid the clasp of Shinichi cape freeing the hero of the cloth and giving the king better access to Shinichi's neck and shoulders. After a couple moments, Shinichi was making small noises of pleasure as his fingers ran repeatedly through the king's soft hair.

Once he had regained a bit of control over his thoughts, Shinichi moved his hands to Kaito's outfit. Kaito was wearing a cape of his own, although his colors were white and gold. He undid the clasp holding the cape and watched as it fluttered to the floor. Kaito's shirt was a bit different from his. Rather than being a tunic that went over the head, his was a button up shirt, the buttons each being gold. He tried undoing the top button, but after Kaito's administrations to his neck, his hands couldn't manage something as tricky as buttons.

He growled in frustration and was just about to ripe the damn thing off when Kaito chuckled and gently gripped Shinichi's hands in his own. Shinichi immediately stopped and allowed Kaito to remove the shirt himself. His eyes hungrily took in the site as slowly, button by button, Kaito's chest was revealed. Kaito undid the last button, but made no move to remove the shirt from his shoulders. Shinichi raised a hand ran his fingers along the king's soft, firm chest. Kaito shivered, Shinichi's light touches were making his skin tingle. He watched as the hands ran along his chest, his shoulders, his sides, his stomach, exploring every inch they could reach. Shinichi moved his hands up and pulled the shirt off Kaito's arms, allowing the article of clothing to fall to the floor next to the cape.

"You're over dressed," Kaito told him. He sat up so that the king could slip the tunic off of him and watched as Kaito threw it behind him somewhere. Shinichi took off the boots himself while Kaito did the same. Finally the only thing left was their pants. Kaito put his hands on the button, ready to undo it and free Shinichi, but he hesitated. "Are you sure you are ready for this, love? We can wait if you aren't sure," he hesitantly told the hero.

Shinichi smiled at Kaito thoughtfulness. He kissed Kaito and whispered after he broke the kiss, "I'm ready Kaito. Please take me."

Kaito didn't need any more encouragement. He undid the button and slid the tight, practically painted on pants with zero effort. How he did it, Shinichi would never know. Once Shinichi was completely revealed, Kaito paused. "Shinichi, I knew you were beautiful, but I never knew you were beautiful _everywhere_," he told the hero. He took a moment just to admire his partner causing Shinichi to blush.

"Hey, stop staring and remove those pants," he growled. Kaito chuckled and obeyed. It was Shinichi's turn to stare. He slowly reached out a hand and gripped Kaito's length, causing the king to take a sharp intake of breath. Encouraged by this, Shinichi moved his hand in pumping motions. Kaito moaned in appreciation.

He wanted to take it to the next level, but he wasn't completely sure how. But Kaito did, and he seemed to understand Shinichi's dilemma. He placed his hand over Shinichi's, signaling that he wanted the hero to stop. Once Shinichi did, Kaito put his hand on his chest, gently applying pressure until Shinichi lied back on the bed. Kaito ducked his head and licked Shinichi's slightly hard member, making the hero gasp. Shinichi whimpered when Kaito took just the tip in his mouth, flicking his tongue over the tip.

"Kaito please, don't tease me anymore," Shinichi practically begged.

Kaito obeyed and took all of Shinichi into his mouth. He began to bob his head up and down, slowly bringing Shinichi closer to going over the edge. Once Shinichi was distracted, he poked a finger inside of his mate, trying to prepare him for what was to come. He searched around, until he found a spot that made Shinichi scream in pleasure. He grinned with his mouth still around Shinichi's cock and committed the spot to memory.

He pulled away from his mate, causing Shinichi to whine from the loss. Kaito positioned himself at Shinichi's entrance and pressed himself in. He took it slow, letting Shinichi adjust little by little. Finally he was fully inside, and that's when he began to move.

Shinichi moaned at the feelings going through his body. Kaito pulled back and adjusted his angle. When he went back in, he hit _that spot _causing Shinichi to scream. Jolts of pleasure shot through his body, causing a pressure to build deep inside of him. Kaito was panting as he moved, forcing himself to move at the same, fast speed despite his own feelings of pleasure that were coursing through his body.

Shinichi couldn't hold out any longer. "Kai, I'm-I…" he tried to speak.

"Go ahead, Shinichi. Cum for me," Kaito told him.

Well damn that was tempting. Shinichi really couldn't last any longer anyway. He came with a scream, his walls tightening around Kaito bringing the young king with him soon after. Wave after wave of pleasure coursed through both their bodies. Kaito gently collapsed on top of Shinichi, both of them riding out the orgasm. The pleasure began to fade and Kaito rolled off of his mate, wrapping his arms around the hero and cuddling him close like Shinichi was a teddy bear, a warm teddy bear that could hold him back.

**End of sex scene**

Kaito smirked and teasingly asked, "How does it feel to have just had sex with the king of Hyrule."

Shinichi rolled his eyes but answered anyways, "It was amazing."

Kaito's eyes softened, "I thought so too. I love you, my mate."

Shinichi yawned sleepily and snuggled closer to his husband, "I love you too, my husband." Then he fell asleep.

xXx

Learning to be the co-ruler of Hyrule was easier than Shinichi would have thought, but he still wasn't as good as Kaito. No wonder, he was born into this. Kaito just had a way with the people, they loved him. But not every problem could be solved by giving the people a winning smile and a charming attitude, and that was when Shinichi came in. It shouldn't have been a surprise that Shinichi could think just as well as he could fight, all of the temples had puzzles he had to solve in order to progress proving long ago that he had brains as well as brawn.

After the initial joy the wedding caused wore off, some people began to question the wisdom of Kaito marrying a male. All thoughts were immediately silenced as soon as Kaito and Shinichi made a public speech telling everyone about their deal with the Goddesses, both showing their Triforce birthmarks as proof. After the people's acceptance of Shinichi, the hero felt much more comfortable on the throne at Kaito's side.

Hattori and Kazuha returned to Goron city, but promised to make regular visit as often as possible. Hakuba was offered a job as the castle botanist, but he refused to accept unless Aoko would stay with him. The Gerudo eagerly agreed. Sonoko also returned to her home, but Shinichi knew she would be back soon. And honestly the knowledge didn't upset him in the least. Kaito and Shinichi also visited the Kokiri as often as they could. Ai was of course welcome to stay, even if Shinichi wasn't a true Kokiri she was still his fairy. She was given her own room with fairy sized furniture and a fairy sized door that opened directly to a secret garden just for her. After she was given the special room just for her, she gave the royal couple one of her rare smiles.

For almost seven years, it was just the two of them, until Kaito finally felt ready to approach Shinichi with his request. "Shinichi, love," he began nervously. He took his mate's hand in his, the hand that had the Triforce mark on it. "I think we are ready for a baby. What do you think?" he asked, barely keeping himself from begging.

He need not worry. Shinichi smiled and gave Kaito's hand a squeeze, "I have been thinking about that myself, and I think you are right, I think we're ready."

The next night of the full moon, Kaito gave his guards specific instructions to patrol near the gardens, but not to go into the gardens themselves. The two hadn't actually told anyone else _how_ they would receive a baby, so the guards weren't aware what they were up to. They assumed the royal couple just wanted to take a midnight stroll around the gardens.

Well, the guards were partially correct. Kaito led Shinichi around the gardens giving him a magnificent tour. Of course the two had wondered around the garden many times, but there was something special about this time. Maybe it was the way the light of the full moon bathed everything in silvery light, or maybe it was the knowledge that they were about to bring someone special into their lives and become a family.

Kaito led Shinichi by hand to his favorite section of the gardens, the roses. "I have something I want to show you," he told Shinichi. He stopped in front of a bush Shinichi had never noticed before. The hero inspected the flowers and gaped.

"Kai, they're beautiful. Why have I never noticed them before?" he asked. The roses he was looking at were pure white, but the tips of each petal sparkled in the light, as if each one had been dusted with glitter.

"These are called Lunar Roses. Under the sunlight they are simply white. It is only under the light of the moon that they sparkle. The stronger the moon light, the more they shine. They can't usually be found around these parts, but I had Hakuba send for them," Kaito answered.

Shinichi turned back to Kaito with a smile, "They're beautiful."

Kaito just looked at him for a moment with a strange look on his face. Finally he spoke, "They are okay I guess."

"Just okay? Kaito, they're gorgeous," Shinichi said, clearly confused.

"They're alright, but they pale in comparison to your beauty," Kaito replied.***

After all of the years they had been together, Shinichi really should have been use to Kaito saying such things, but he wasn't. His face turned scarlet, as if they were still a brand new couple. Kaito chuckled and cupped Shinichi's face in his hand, "I love it that you still blush. I hope you never stop."

Kaito took his hand again and led him right in the middle of the roses. The bushes circled around them, surrounding them and hiding them from view. Kaito pulled a blanket out of nowhere and laid it out on the ground. "Are you ready, love?" he asked one last time.

Shinichi smiled, "I'm ready. Let's make a baby."

**SexSexSexSexSex**

Kaito leaned forward and captured Shinichi's lips with his own. Kaito tried to convey all of his love for Shinichi in that kiss, pouring his heart into it. The after math left Shinichi feeling dizzy. He rested a hand on Kaito's shoulder for support and hummed in happiness when Kaito wrapped his arms around him.

Kaito moved lower and began trailing kisses down Shinichi's jaw, while the hero's hands found Kaito's hair and began playing with it. Kaito's fingers found the bottom and Shinichi's shirt and pulled it over his mate's head. Shinichi shivered at the sudden loss of heat and Kaito's arms were around him again, pressing their bodies as close as possible so he could share his body heat. He was at Shinichi's neck now, and he continued kissing until he was at Shinichi's shoulders. He gently bit his mate's collar bone, causing Shinichi to suck in his breath and slowly let it out in a sigh.

Shinichi's hands moved from Kaito's hair to his shirt, and he pulled it over the king's head and began to place his own kisses on his chest. He kisses lower and lower, going down his sternum and his stomach, until he was just above Kaito's pants. Kaito almost forgot to breathe in anticipation. Shinichi slowly undid the button and pulled down Kaito's pants, exposing him completely. He flicked out his tongue and licked the tip of Kaito. The young king hissed and he let his head fall back until he was looking straight up at the stars. Shinichi grabbed the base of Kaito's cock with his hand and put his mouth on the tip, swirling his tongue around. Kaito moaned in pleasure, his left hand finding Shinichi's hair and massaging his scalp. Shinichi went deeper and moved his head around, swirling his entire mouth around Kaito, moving his dick in and out.

After a few moments, Kaito gently pulled at Shinichi's hair, tenderly pulled him away. Once Shinichi was off of him, Kaito felt he could form a proper sentence again. He tried now, "No more, Shinichi. Please, I need to be inside you."

Shinichi smiled and laid back on the blanket. His chest and stomach were bare and the button of his pants was undone, almost revealing himself to Kaito. It was probably the hottest thing he had ever seen. "Then fuck me, Kaito. I'm ready for you," Shinichi told him, causing him to nearly lose his load right then and there. ****

He didn't need to be told twice. Kaito pulled Shinichi's pants the rest of the way down and took Shinichi's dick in his hand. He gave it a squeeze, causing the hero to whimper. He licked and sucked Shinichi for awhile before inserting himself inside of his mate.

Shinichi moaned at the feeling of Kaito inside of him. Kaito began to move, slowly pulling himself in and out of Shinichi. He picked up speed and Shinichi began making little mews of pleasure. "Oh god, you feel incredible," Kaito told his mate.

Shinichi simply nodded, unable to form actual words.

Kaito placed his hand over Shinichi's cock and began pumping in time with his own thrusts. Shinichi was now holding a hand over his mouth, trying not to scream. They might have been alone, but sound carries, and it would be really awkward if a guard heard him scream and thought he was in trouble. With one final thrust, they both came, Kaito emptying himself deep inside of Shinichi while the hero covered their stomachs.

Kaito pulled himself out, panting with little beads of sweat on his forehead. "I love you, Shinichi," he told his mate.

"I love you too, Kai," Shinichi replied.

**EndSexEndSexEndSex**

Suddenly, Shinichi was distracted by a silvery glow out of the corner of his eye. He turned and gasped, "Kaito, look."

Kaito looked where Shinichi was pointing and saw a sprout growing from the ground. The plant was glowing silver and was growing at a rapid pace. As the two watched, it got bigger and leaves began to form. A flower bud formed and the plant was getting larger, far larger than most plants. The flower bud finally opened and inside the flower was a sleeping baby.

Shinichi and Kaito pulled on their pants and went to the flower. Kaito took the baby into his arms and inspected the sleeping child. Shinichi took his shirt and wrapped it around the baby, trying to use it as a blanket to keep it warm. Kaito's eyes widened, "Shinichi, I think this is our child that the goddesses gifted us." For proof, he held up one of the babies tiny hands. On the back of his hand was a birthmark in the shape of the Triforce, just like Kaito's and Shinichi's.

Shinichi smiled, "I bet it was Farore's idea to gift us the baby through a flower."

Kaito smiled back, "Yeah, I think so too. What are we going to name the little…(he pulled back the make shift blanket and took a peak under) guy?"

"You know, I haven't really thought about it. Have you?" he asked his husband.

Kaito rocked the baby in his arms, lost in thought. Finally he answered, "Well he had to be born under the light of the moon, so how about Tsukiya?"

As soon as he said the name, the baby opened its eyes and blinked up at the two curiously. Shinichi smiled down at the baby, "I think he likes it."

"Tsukiya it is then. Welcome to the world, little prince," Kaito told the baby.

The baby giggled and made bubbles with its spit. Both parents laughed and walked back inside to the warmth of the castle.

"So Shinichi, how does it feel to be a mommy?" Kaito asked innocently.

"Kaito, stop calling me a female!" Shinichi yelled in reply.

Tsukiya giggled in delight.

xXx

I know the ending seemed abrupt, but I really didn't know where to end it, and it was already getting really long. If the sex scene sucked, I apologize. It was my first, and maybe last one. The honest truth is I'm really not sure how to write a gay, male on male, sex scene. I mean, I am a woman, so I can't really relate. But then again, I can't really relate to fighting monsters with a sword either, lol.

I find it kind of funny that I made Shinichi the badass hero in this, but I also made him the submissive in his relationship with Kaito. I think in a way it makes sense. In a lot of fanfics, Shinichi is the hero that goes rushing off to catch criminals, and then he goes home to Kaito where he is often uke. Plus I love uke!Shinichi.

*If you are wondering about the three goddesses height, it seemed like the right thing to do. If you think about it, gods and goddesses are often depicted as being larger than life. In art, size was at one time used to depict status. The larger characters were of higher status and more important. You can also see examples in movies that I'm sure many of you have seen, such as Disney's Hercules. The statue of Zeus reaches the ceiling that houses it. And did anyone see the cartoon movie Sinbad? The goddess Eris is often shown to be larger than life. Basically, don't argue with my logic :P

** Feel free to laugh as hard as you want at Shinichi's innocent statement. I know I did.

***I have to admit, writing things like that make me blush.

****I tried at first to make the sex scene in the garden as beautiful as possible because of the fact that they were making a baby, so I wanted to leave out the dirty language. I finally gave up. I guess I'm just a vulgar person ^/^

Sorry for the long author notes. It's been a long journey, but I'm finally finished. Please don't forget to read and review. And look forward to another chapter in Side Effects Include, coming soon!


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